Babies at Breakfast
by Lacrow
Summary: Two's company, three's a crowd...especially when the third one still poops in her pants. Co-written and concepts by .Poisoned Scarlet
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater. Nor do I condone pre-marital sex (I am obligated to say that by the people at Planned Parenthood) (P.S I made that part up) (P.S.S I do not own Planned Parenthood)

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><p><strong>Babies at Breakfast<strong>

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><em>What the hell is that sound?<em>

The sun peaked its way through the curtains across his window, the light shining through in just a way where it streamed directly over his eyes. That damned ball of yellow in the sky had been up for a good undisclosed amount of time already, and it had tried desperately to wake him since then for reasons unknown. But that's not why Soul Eater was up.

It had been a _very _long night last night. Between the late showing movie that Black Star just HAD to drag him to because he didn't want to see alone, and the resulting Maka-Chop he had received when he came back from said movie half wasted at three in the morning, it was not a good night. In fact, he didn't even _remember_ going to bed. Instead, Maka had just given him the blow to his head, and the rest was all just a blur. He assumed that she had just dragged his sorry ass to bed, and there's where he had slept off the booze for a good…ten hours? His head throbbed, both from the alcohol and the chop. But that's not why Soul Eater was up.

He rubbed the sore on his head and gave a winded yawn, his serrated teeth giving him an intimidating look until they closed shut again. He had to pee. Bad. But, that's not why Soul Eater was up.

No, the reason he was up was for an entirely different reason. He could've handled the sun poking through the curtains, the terrible splitting headaches, or even the fact that he had to empty his tank. All of those things could never get him out of bed as easily as what he heard did, just minutes ago when he began to awaken. Because from outside his door, in the living room no doubt, he could've sworn he heard something he'd never thought he'd hear in his apartment. This day, or any other in the future for that matter.

"What the hell is that sound?" he grumbled to himself as he heard it again, a low whine that again came from the living room.

Slowly, Soul started to wake from his stupor, a hangover induced haze that didn't seem to ease at all in the ten hours that he had been asleep. He gripped his hair, rubbed his sore again, and gave one last yawn before he stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened, as yet again he heard that same sound as before. In his newfound consciousness, he thought he could distinctly make out what the noise was, but he dared not jump to such a brash conclusion. Instead, he calmly got up from bed and made his way to the dresser. Bending down to the bottom drawer where he kept his pants, he only got as far as taking the article of clothing out from its spot when he heard the noise _again. _

"That's it!"

Dropping the pair of pants on the ground where he stood, Soul hastily made his way to the door. He flung it open and quickly filed his way into the small hallway that led directly into the living room, the entire time grumbling under his breath about the TV being too loud.

"What the hell, Maka! I'm trying to sleep here, so would you please keep it d-"

Soul halted immediately as he found the source of the noise. His previous thoughts confirmed, he realized that _it _really had been the culprit all along. He wasn't just jumping to conclusions. He wasn't going insane from alcohol poisoning. Then again, he wasn't in the mood to celebrate his discovery. Quite the contrary, he dreaded what he saw. Because as he stood there under the archway, gazing at Maka as she sat criss-crossed on the floor, he noticed a tiny little blob of flesh bouncing on her lap, whining and huffing as it played with her pigtails.

"Oh, you're awake! Finally." Maka turned to him, wincing as the little blob pulled her hair but smiling all the same.

"Maka, w-what, what the hell is that?" Soul stammered as he came around the couch and stood over her, pointing at the little thing on her lap.

"Um, I don't know, Soul. What do you think it is?" she asked plainly, taking her hair out of the little bundle's hands.

"It looks like a baby..."

"Well," Maka started as she lifted the little one into the air, causing he/she/it to give an excited whine. "Then it's a baby, Soul!"

Soul grabbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes, the headaches returning again with a vengeance. "But _why _is there a baby, Maka."

Maka sighed as she brought the bouncing baby back down. The little person kicked and grabbed at the air which caused Maka to gush at the cuteness of it all. Soul groaned to himself as she purposely put off answering his question, opting instead to lay the baby down and pull up its shirt, blowing onto its tummy and make it squeal in delight.

"Maka..."

She stopped her activity briefly. "Yes, Soul?"

Soul blinked. "Why is there a baby?"

"What baby, Soul?"

"Don't screw with me, Maka!"

Maka laughed at her own hijinks as she sat the baby up on its own, its legs kicking in an alternating fashion. She leaned behind her to grab a couple pillows and laid them around the baby so it wouldn't fall over. Grabbing a hold of its hands with only two of her fingers, she looked up at her weapon.

"Calm down. It's just fun watching you act so uncool because there's a baby in the room!" she smiled.

Soul spat. "Whatever. Answer my question."

"I could've sworn I told you this last night before I chopped you on the head." Maka thought to herself out loud, looking up at the ceiling as she tried to recall. "Guess not. Well, I got asked by the neighbors last night to watch their daughter for the day. They came around this morning to confirm and I didn't see a problem with it, so I said sure."

His eyes narrowed at her. "And you didn't think to at least ask how I felt about a drooling baby in the apartment?"

Maka sensed his attitude and she merely closed her eyes, nose upturned. "I didn't forget. I was going to ask you, till you came home _drunk..."_

Soul stiffened at her words, the tone she used sharp enough to cut through steel. She didn't open her eyes (thankfully) and she didn't give any inkling that she wanted to Maka-Chop him again. Although deep down he knew that was exactly the case.

"...so after that I didn't feel like I needed your permission anymore. Or was I wrong?"

Soul looked in the opposite direction. "No."

"Good!" she immediately perked, eyes again falling back onto the little baby girl on the floor. "There's bread on the counter and the toaster's in the cupboard underneath the silverware. There's also food in the freezer if you get hungry."

Soul rolled his eyes as he did an about face towards the kitchen, the entire time listening to Maka as she and the baby continued to giggle and whine together. He tossed a glance over his shoulder and watched for a moment as Maka brought the little on up on her feet, pressing their heads together as the baby blew raspberries in delight. A tiny flash of a smirk appeared on his face, only to disappear as Maka suddenly turned around.

"Oh and by the way Soul, please put on some pants!"

His face turned scarlet as he quickly shot down a look and noticed that the only thing he was wearing were his blue and white striped boxers. He had completely forgotten to put on any clothes as he stumbled out of his room, and now he was paying for it. Within a flash he was running into the bedroom, the incessant laughs of Maka hounding him the entire way until he closed the door.

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><p>"What are you looking at?"<p>

Soul sat at the table, his back to the kitchen, facing the patio outside. A fork in his hand and a piece of waffle attached to it, he stared at the little girl in a booster seat at the opposite end of the table. In a wide eyed curiosity she stared at him back, her pinkish eyes vibrating ever so slightly as she gazed at the strange man in front of her. The two of them just sat there, mouth agape, waiting for nothing in particular to happen.

"Soul, stop being such an ass."

Maka leaned over the table and spread out the food she had prepared for the baby. A red bowl filled with what looked like (Soul guessed) were peas. The little yellow sippy cup with a cuter version of a shinigami skull on it was obviously filled with her drink. The baby became ecstatic, breaking into a hunger induced tantrum as Maka brought the spoon out and scooped up the mixture.

"Open up!" Maka coaxed, twirling the spoon through the air as the baby bounced up and down in excitment.

She jammed the spoon in the baby's mouth and watched as the little girl became still. As if concentrating on how to eat, her mouth moved side to side as a little bit of the green stuff dribbled from her mouth.

"What a genius, she knows how to eat!" Soul grinned in sarcasm

Maka's eyes flashed from the corners of her view. "I'm still shocked that you learned how to."

"Ouch Maka," he grinned wider, bringing a piece of waffle closer to his mouth. "That one hurt a little!"

She simply rolled her eyes and continued to feed the baby. Soul continued to eat his breakfast (lunch) as well. Munching on his soggy waffles, Soul simply watched as Maka was careful to clean the baby after every other spoonful, otherwise the green stuff would pile up and start to make its way down to her bib. He didn't see the point in trying to keep the bib clean, considering that bibs were _meant_ to get dirty, but he didn't question it. The smile on Maka's face as the little brat keept blowing raspberries made him want to smile as well, but he never got the chance to. Almost as quickly the thought came to him mind, Maka put the spoon down and casually got up from her seat.

"Soul, I have to go to the restroom real quick. Could you finish feeding Kirin while I'm gone?"

Soul blinked, finishing the last bit of waffle he had in his mouth. "I take it the baby's name is Kirin?"

Her head turned to the side. "You didn't know that already?"

"No, I guess somebody forgot to tell me."

"Whoops!" She smiled, sticking her tongue out in embarrassment. "Yes, her name is Kirin. Guess I did forget to tell you!"

He watched as she excused herself from the table, pushing the chair back as she made her way down the hallway, the sound of the bathroom door closing right after. Soon it was just Soul and Kirin, sitting down, staring at each other yet again with wide eyes and open mouths. Only this time, one of them had a little bit of green hanging from their lip.

"So...how you doing?"

The baby didn't respond. He kind of already knew that would happen.

"Well," he sighed, standing up from the table. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

He made is way over to Maka's seat and plopped himself down. Picking up the little red spoon he inspected it real quick, not entirely sure what he was looking for. Then he leaned over and peered into Kirin's bowl, noticing that there was only a few spoonfuls left. All this as Kirin watched the white haired man, pink eyes still wide as ever as if fascinated by everything he did.

"Okay, well, this aught to be easy." he mumbled, more to himself than to the baby.

Dipping the utensil into the green paste, he pulled it out and attempted to put it in the child's mouth. The first time was easy, due to her already having her mouth open as she gawked at him. The second time was a different matter. Apparently after the last bite, she immediately became full. At every attempt Soul made to feed her the last spoonful, she resisted in all forms and fashions. Kirin kept her mouth closed, turned her head away, threw a fit, all in the name of keeping out that last tiny bit of food.

"Come on Kirin!" Soul growled after another failed attempt to get her to eat. "Open up!"

He peered down at the little one from above her, the baby still returning his gaze even though she continued to keep her mouth shut. Still slightly irked, Soul's focus fell on those pink eyes of hers. They reminded him so much of his own, only smaller. The color was pretty close too, albeit it obviously lighter. Kirin seemed to notice this too, which was probably why she kept staring at him as well. Then again it probably had to also be because of the sheer level of his coolness, though he would never say it out loud.

"Having fun?"

As if flicking on a switch, both Soul and Kirin looked towards the hallway as an amused Maka stood there, arms crossed as she gazed at them. Soul assumed she had been there for a while.

"Nah, just feeding the baby like you told me."

Taking advantage of the moment and the fact that Kirin was gawking at Maka again, Soul slipped the last spoonful of food into her mouth without her knowing. A few seconds later as the baby sensed what had happened, she immediately began to move her mouth around to swallow the food, completely bewildered as to how the peas got there in the first place.

Soul grinned wide as Maka did the same from her spot. "All done."

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><p>"Dammit Maka, why do <em>I <em>have to do it!"

He called out to her from the living room, a naked and kicking Kirin laying on the ground in front of him. Her used diaper lay right underneath her, the unholy smell it gave off sending Soul into a gagging fit. He was sure to keep his distance, at least his nose, and he didn't dare touch the little one until he had at least put some gloves on first. The brown stuff was foul. And warm. And runny.

"Because!" she called back to him, returning with the yellow gloves he had begged her for. "You're gonna have kids someday, so you'd mine as well learn now!"

Soul snorted as he took the gloves from her and quickly put them on his hands. "That's bullshit! If that's the case then you should be doing it! You're the one who's gonna be a _mom _someday!"

"But I'm a girl, I already know how to change diapers!" she smiled coyly at him

"Yeah, whatever."

Making sure to grab both ends of the diaper carefully, he slowly moved the used undies away from Kirin and into the air. In an absolute rush for salvation, he bolted into the kitchen and opened up the trash can, throwing the accursed thing away for good. With a sigh of relief, he made his way back to the living room and returned to the floor.

"So where's the new diaper?"

Maka blinked. "New diaper?"

"Uh, yeah. The one we put on her after taking off the old one? That new one?"

Her eyes suddenly grew wide, a hand across her mouth as she sucked in air. "They didn't leave us any diapers! They must've forgot!"

Soul grunted deeply, causing Kirin to stir and start to whine. "Do we at least have whipees?"

She bit her lip. "I don't think so. All they gave us was food and clothing."

The annoyance filled his eyes and with a tired sigh, he got back up from his spot on the floor and walked towards his room. Maka sat down and tended to Kirin, the little one starting to get ancy as she lay in her own filth. Rocking her side to side and hushing her quickly, Maka kept the baby occupied until Soul appeared a second later with a shirt and some paper towels. Landing next to her with a thud, he casually turned the baby towards him and took the paper towel in his hands.

"It ain't much, but it's all we got at the moment." he explained to her, gently wiping off the brown from her.

Maka watched as Soul cleaned Kirin, without gloves, and tossed the paper towels at Blair's litter box (who thankfully was at work at the moment and wasn't there to complain) He then took the shirt that he carried and plopped the child on top of it. Folding the sides neatly, he brought them around and made knots here and there, until finally there was a decent little makeshift diaper surrounding Kirin's nether regions.

"Wow Soul, that's really good." she complimented his work, gazing at him as he stood the baby on her feet. "But you could've used one of my shirts if you wanted."

"That's ok." he smiled lightly, eyes fixed on the baby in his hands. "I always thought that shirt was crappy anyway."

Maka tried not to acknowledge the corny joke, but she ended up smiling for his charm more than anything else. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that!"

Soul shrugged. "You can pretend all you want, but one of us is going to have to get diapers before she decides to make it hard on us again."

Maka thought about it for a moment as she looked at Soul and the baby. She then looked at the diaper bag (with ironically no diapers in it) Kirin's parents had left them, and she suddenly came with a solution.

"I have a better idea, Soul!"

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><p>"This was a bad idea, Soul!"<p>

Maka and her partner strolled through the aisles of the local supermarket, a little ball of very loud energy sitting right there in the basket as she pushed it along. Soul stayed next to her, trying to keep his cool as little Kirin whined, huffed, and puffed in the loudest volume possible for a child her size. Maka watched, embarrassed, as her little group caught the looks of everyone passing by like some side show attraction.

"Well, we're here now, so we're just gonna have to deal." Soul painfully replied, looking to the baby as she continued to fuss.

"Please, Kirin! Shh! It's alright, no need to scream!" Maka tried to calm the child as she pushed the cart, to no avail.

A small bead of sweat hung from Soul as he looked around the crowded market, catching them as they caught looks at him and his partner. The little girl was obviously the source of the commotion, but something was up. They weren't just staring at _her. _They were staring at Soul and Maka too, but in a strange sort of way. What was that emotion he saw in them? Distaste? Why would they be looking distastefully at them? He knew that Kirin was being obnoxious, but she was just a baby after all.

"So, where are the baby supplies?" Soul asked her, trying to keep his eyes looking ahead.

"I don't know, Soul! I'm a little busy!" she napped at him, still focused on the baby.

He reached behind him and scratched the back of his head, looking up above the aisles to search for directions. He saw that they were in the cleaning supplies and he figured that the baby stuff must be around that general area somewhere. Putting his hand on the edge of the basket, he guided the way as Maka pushed the cart, still trying desperately to hush the little girl.

"Please, for the love of death! Shh!" Maka begged, taking the baby out of the cart and bouncing her in her arms.

Soul felt the tug of the cart falling back and he looked to see why. He found Maka, slightly distressed as she somewhat got a handle on the situation, Kirin's screams turning into sporadic fusses that weren't nearly so loud. He smiled weakly at her as she blew a stray lock of hair from her face, obviously exhausted by the whole ordeal. He waited for her as she bounced the little one up and down until the fusses turned to whines, and the whines into silence. After a few minutes of trying, the baby finally, finally, fell asleep

"You're pretty good at this." he said quietly as she returned with the small bundle, gently placing it inside the basket.

"I'll take Kishin's over this any day." she exhaled as she returned to her post at the cart. "Now let's get that stuff and get out of here."

Together the three of them made their way down the aisle, away from the looks of strangers. After emerging out the other end and searching for a minute or two, they finally found the one they had been looking for. Soul and Maka traveled the entire way down, looking on both sides for something, but nothing in particular.

"Um, which ones do we buy?" Soul finally asked.

Maka shifted uneasily. "I'm not quite sure...she's about 13 months, but, I don't know what size we should get. Or even what brand."

"Well," he sighed in return. "We've got time to search around I guess. There's no real rush-"

"-Excuse me?"

The two of them turned around to face an older looking couple, their hair streaked with flecks of gray and cart filled with groceries. Soul and Maka looked at each other quickly and then back at the pair.

"Yes, can we help you?" Maka responded.

The older woman smiled at them. "Yes, well, my husband and I heard that little commotion in the other aisle and we were wondering who was causing it. Then as we're getting things for our grandson, you two show up, and my word, were we surprised!"

Maka smiled politely at the two while Soul just stood next to her with his hands in his pockets, watching the conversation unfold just as the woman's husband did. He figured he'd let the girls do the talking.

"Anyway," the lady continued, "I just wanted to let you know that you two have a beautiful baby together. It's just a shame you had to have a child so early! And at such a young age too!"

Soul stiffened at her words, his muscles instantly locked up in complete shock. In a millisecond he was looking over baby Kirin, searching for any signs as to why someone would think that, when suddenly he knew exactly why. He had already known about her eyes which looked so much like his, but her hair is what gave it away. There was so little of it that he barely noticed before, but now that he was looking for it, the distinct dirty blonde hue that Maka always bore was immediately apparent. It was exactly the same! She was a miniature version of Maka, with _his _eyes!

"So, sorry to bother you about all this!" the woman quickly added, brining Soul back to the conversation. "We just wanted to congratulate you!"

Soul flashed a look Maka's way, trying to see what kind of reaction she had. He couldn't tell because her head was hung down, hair blocking the view of her face. His heart skipped a beat.

"No, thank you very much." she replied calmly and quietly.

The old couple looked at each other and smiled, thinking they had done a wonderful thing. Soul glared at them as they turned around and continued with their shopping, annoyed at the sheer stupidity of it all. Shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, he came close to her and whispered in her ear.

"You ok?"

"No..."

She lifted her face up to meet his and, for the first time that day and in a long time, he saw her finally break. Her eyes were red (though she'd never admit she was teary eyed) and her face contorted into a deeply hurt frown. She crossed her arms as she looked at the ground, leaning her back against the grocery store shelves because she was too tired to stand straight on her own.

"That's why they were staring at us, Soul. They weren't looking at Kirin, they were looking at you. At me, like I'm some kind of slut!"

"We both know you're not, Maka." he replied comfortingly

"I know!" she breathed heavy. "It's just...it's been a long day. And those people...they still keep looking!"

He could feel the hurt in her words and he wished he could take it all away. Looking away from her and at the other market goers, his sympathy soon turned to anger as he confirmed her suspicions. People came and went, but as they did, they had to sneak at least one passing glance at the teenage couple and their year old baby. The sight infuriated him, both of their ignorance and Maka's distress. He glanced at the little baby that was at the center of all of this, and was pleased to know that she was still sound asleep.

Soul came to a conclusion rather quickly, but he followed through with it none the less. Taking a surprised Maka's hand, he left the baby for a moment as he rushed down the aisle and grabbed everything they needed. Diapers, whipees, powder, everything. Throwing them all in the basket, he pushed it along as Maka followed right along side him. She was confused by all of this, but she suddenly didn't feel all that self conscious when she snuck a peek at his serious face, like his resoluteness was rubbing off on her. They hurriedly made it to the cashier and, after paying for all their groceries, the three of them quickly filed out of the market and away from judging eyes.

But not before Soul had the pleasure of standing in the doorway and flicking everyone off as they left building. All for a good five minutes.

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><p>"No, seriously Mrs. Knightly, it was no trouble at all!"<p>

Soul lay on the couch, arms behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. Maka was at the door, a little bubbly baby girl being passed from her to another woman standing outside the door. The little one giggled and cooed as she made it to her mothers arms, the latter thanking Maka immensely for everything she had done that day. Especially after realizing that she had forgotten to give her diapers and such. Earlier Soul had insisted that they demand compensation, but his meister quickly shot down that plan out of politeness. Still, at least Kirin's mother had been nice enough to drop off a pie she had picked up earlier from the store. He knew what he'd be eating for dinner that night.

"I know, but still, you've done so much. You're such a wonderful babysitter!" the woman swooned from the doorway, bouncing Kirin in her hands.

Maka blushed. "Thank you Mrs. Knightly, but honestly I couldn't have done it without Soul."

Soul raised up a hand as if in acknowledgement, to which Kirin's mother smiled deeply. "Then thank you as well, Soul Eater! If you want, you can come say goodbye? We're gonna take off now."

The weapon shot up from his spot of the couch and he smiled. "No thanks, Mrs. Knightly. I'll just catch you two later."

The mother nodded her head and, giving everyone one last heartfelt thank you, turned around and descended down the stairs to her apartment. Maka closed the door behind her, sighing in relief as she made her way to the living room, plopping herself right next to Soul and taking up half his space. He didn't seem to mind.

"Why didn't you want to say bye to Kirin?" she asked him after she got comfortable, her head bumping into his.

He shrugged. "Because, she lives right next door. Why say bye when they live so close?"

"Maybe because you'd miss her?"

"Right! Why would I miss that little blob?"

Maka smiled as she put her forehead against his, the two of them scrunched together close on the couch. In all honesty it wasn't especially comfortable to be in that position, but they were tired and after everything that had happened that day, they needed to rest. So why not with each other?

"You liked taking care of her, and you know it!"

Soul closed his eyes in annoyance. "Maybe I did, so what?"

"Then you should admit it, because maybe I liked taking care of her too!" Maka's cheeks puffed up in equal amounts of annoyance.

His brows raised. "So, if we both admitted we liked taking care of her, what exactly would that do?"

Maka thought about the answer for a moment. "Then I suppose the next time they ask us to babysit, we can take care of her again."

Soul pondered for a moment as to how he wanted to respond to that. He looked at Maka as they lay on the couch together, close enough to feel the other breathe. He quickly viewed her eyes and hair, and the creaminess of her skin. He was tired, and it all seemed to comforting. So, giving into his exhaustion (and maybe even Maka's good looks) he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead against hers in a rare act of openess.

"I liked having the baby around."

She smiled at him. "Me too."

* * *

><p><strong>A:N <strong>Gah! Too much mushiness! It pains me!

Well, not really. I've got lots of baby cousins, so writing about this stuff just felt kind of natural lol

This is the introduction to baby Kirin and her times with Soul and Maka. Obviously, there's a lot of text here, but the following chapters will be snapshots of the three's continued moments together. Enjoy!


	2. At the Mall

**Disclaimer: **

**Hey folks. Been reading your reviews and I'm happy to announce that we will be continuing Babies at Breakfast! And by _we,_ I of course mean the amazingly talented .Poisoned Scarlet and myself!**

**I've decided to turn the following chapters into little one-shots revolving around the further misadventures of Soul, Maka, and baby Kirin. Scarlet has been kind enough to co-author with me, and together we will be writing different stories from Soul and Maka's point of views. I realize that the change in format may turn a few people away, but it seemed like the best route to go with the story. In any case, Scarlet is a phenomenal writer and the both of us will try our best to have fun with it. Hopefully you all will too!**

* * *

><p><strong>Babies at the Mall<strong>

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><strong><em>Maka<em>**

"Oh dear god, that was foul!"

Maka emerged from the food court restrooms with Kirin in her arm, the other holding her recently used diaper bag. The sickness in her face reflected the putrid stench of carrots and peas that wafted through the ladies restroom as they left, sending any unfortunate soul who happened to walk in at the time to cough and gag. She quickly made her way through the inner lobby and out into the mall food court itself, desperately throwing her head around in search of her weapon. When she finally spotted the white of his hair sticking out from behind a booth, she quickly made a b-line to drop off the ancy baby. Her duty was done, it was _his _turn now.

"Soul! You owe me _big_ for that!" She called out to him, shifting Kirin between arms as the little one started to squirm for reasons unknown.

The fluff of white didn't move at all. She figured that he couldn't hear her, what with the distance between them and the people around. Still, she was slightly irked by his ignorance, and in a moment when she reached him she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Maka quickly made her way around the line of booths in order to get to the opposite side, as she noticed when she approached that Soul's back was to her. Annoyed even more by the added effort she had to put in, she already started to gather the words under her breath.

"First I get groceries. Then I let you drag us to the mall to meet Kid and the others. And _then _I even offer to change the baby's diaper! When I get over there you are so going to be-"

Maka was cut short in contemplation as she turned the corner and, stopping her dead in her tracks, saw the clear view of Soul sitting in the booth as he talked to a girl standing right next to him. He was laid back with his elbows on the backboard behind him and legs crossed in front of him, an indifferent look on his face. The girl was a different story altogether. She had a bust reminiscent of Blair's and clothing that accentuated it. Her hair was red, and it was so full and bright as compared to Maka's own flat and bland locks. Worst of all, she smiled constantly as she talked to him, perfect white teeth showing through with every other word.

Kirin started to cry a little as Maka ignored her for a moment. The young blonde just stood there with the baby in her arm, watching as the other girl hovered over Soul. He wasn't contributing to the conversation much, and the look on his face seemed pained as though he didn't want to be there at the moment, but that was little consolation to Maka. She was too focused on the way the other girl smiled and moved her hair out of they way when she talked to him. The way she inched slightly closer after every other word. The way she _leaned _into him! Her blood boiled.

_Why the hell is he just sitting there! Why doesn't he just _**_move _**_away from her? Or tell her to leave, or something!_

A fist curled around the already tightly held diaper bag. She had only been there for maybe a few seconds, but Maka already had enough of this stranger. She wasn't entirely sure _why _she was upset, given that they weren't going out or anything. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was holding a now fully crying baby in her arms as he sat there not doing anything, or at least that's what she convinced herself to believe. In any case, with her chest puffed out, she marched her way over to the two of them. They didn't notice her at first, until Maka got close enough for Kirin's cries to become incredibly apparent. Both of them turning their heads to see who it was, Maka was already at the table, throwing the diaper bag on the table in front of Soul.

"Dammit, Soul!"

The weapon blinked. "The hell did I do, Maka?"

Kirin's cries turned to wales as Maka held the baby out in front of her. Everyone coming and going turned their heads and gave passing glances as the little one balled her heart out. Soul popped to attention in his seat, completely bewildered as to why she was crying and why his partner was suddenly ticked off at him. The girl standing next to him put her hands behind her back awkwardly, not sure as to what was going on.

Soul flustered. "Why's Kirin crying?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you ditched the two of us so you could talk with your friend_?" _Maka replied calmly, even though the dagger like eyes of hers directed at the other girl told a very different story.

"What the hell! You _told _me to sit here and wait for you!" he snarled, reaching over the table as he grabbed the baby from her. Kirin's wales continued for a moment until he propped her on his knee and started to bounce her. That always seemed to calm her down.

"No, I told you to sit down somewhere. Anywhere." she replied again coolly. Reaching over the table, she held out her hand for the other girl to take. "Hello, I'm Maka, what's your name?"

The other girl obliged (albeit it shyly) and took her hand. "Hi, I'm Rachel."

"Hi, Rachel." Maka replied sweetly, although deep in her mind her teeth grated at the sound of her name. "What brings you over here?"

"Oh, well..." Rachel started, looking at the white haired boy she had been talking to before, now with a _baby _on his lap. "...I just came over to eat and...well..."

The girl went from Soul to Maka and noticed the seething attitude in the latter's eyes. Her voice was sweet and her tone was calm, but Rachel knew that she was clearly on this other girl's radar. Grabbing her arm with the other, she shifted her weight awkwardly to the other foot. "...I'm sorry, but, are you three cousins or something?"

Soul's brow raised as he stopped bouncing Kirin in his lap, oblivious to the mounting tension between the three. "Cousins? What makes you say that? We're just-"

"-Partners." Maka finished for him flatly, a dull look now replacing her fake smile.

Rachel's eyes grew very wide as the words came from Maka's mouth. She looked at her for a moment, then back at the boy sitting down, then at the baby girl on his knee. Her face quickly grew as red as her hair and slowly she backed away from Soul. Gripping her arm even tighter, she looked at the ground as he stepped away. She couldn't get out of there fast enough.

"Oh, god. I'm so sorry. I think I have to go now!" she piped, looking behind her to make sure no one was there.

Soul's expression didn't give his confusion enough justice. "Alright. See ya, I guess..."

Just as quickly as the girl had came, Rachel turned around and peeled off to somewhere else in the mall. Her red hair trailed behind her as she disappeared quickly, leaving Soul there to sit and wonder what exactly had just happened. He looked at Kirin (who stared back at him) then up at Maka who stood over him, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can you tell me what the hell just-"

"MAKA-CHOP!"

The thick and heavy textbook that (seemingly) came from nowhere crashed down on Soul's head. His eyes seemed to boggle in their sockets and his head spun in recoil as he floated out of consciousness. Little Kirin started to scream in joy at the funny faces she saw him make, right up until the point where he passed out and couldn't make them anymore. Maka just stood there and smiled at the baby's laughter, still holding the book in her hand.

Sure, when their friends would arrive and he would wake up, Soul wouldn't be in such a great mood. But, her own feelings vented, she really didn't care about that at the moment. Instead, she just slid into the seat right next to him and grabbed Kirin from his lap. Still looking at the silly (passed out) man next to her, Kirin continued to laugh and together, the two girls waited for everyone else to arrive.

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><p><strong>A.N: <strong>

Have any suggestions as to further chapters? Leave your reviews or a message and if there's a particularly good one (or we get writers block!) we just might use your idea!


	3. In the Bedroom

**A/N: **As Lacrow mentioned in the previous chapter, I will be working on this collection as well! It was about time I got myself sucked into another collection, neh? And what better way to start than to spice things up by co-authoring with the fabulous Laaaa-_crow_! Haha!

I hope you all enjoy this collection as much I will enjoy writing it :)

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><p><strong>Babies in the Bedroom<br>by. **_Poisoned Scarlet_

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><p><em><strong>Soul<strong>_

"Aw, c'mon, shut up! Shh!" Soul hushed harshly, tossing frightened looks over his shoulder. His bedroom door remained closed but he knew it would not be long before Maka stormed inside, frying pan in hand, with livid green eyes and a snarl to match. "Kirin! Stop crying – uh, here! Play with your rattle!"

Kirin cried harder and slapped the rattle to the floor, her cute face scrunched and red with the effort of crying.

He scrambled for something – _anything –_ but nothing in his room was particularly baby-safe. He contemplated giving her a coil of guitar string but, if Maka caught her with it, he knew he would get more than a Maka Chop. Then he thought of letting her play with his guitar pick.

_Not smart, _he thought wearily. The last he needed was Kirin choking on it because she decided it would be absolutely _delightful _to put it in her mouth.

Kirin's cries turned to wails.

"_Crap_…" Soul groaned quietly, looking toward the door again. Maka was crazy, to think he had any amount of skill in dealing with babies. It didn't matter that he could barely cook, in his opinion, he could follow a stupid recipe – no matter _how_ uncool it was to wear an apron and slave over the stove. But it was even _more_ uncool to sit, helpless, and watch as his neighbors daughter sobbed her heart out for reasons that still eluded him.

_How do you deal with a damn baby? _He fretted, darting his eyes to all corners of his room. Nothing stuck out to him – until he looked at the mirror, his face contorted in worry. Not because the baby was crying, oh, no, but because if Maka found that he couldn't even keep a _baby _happy for more than two minutes she would knock him unconscious for no other reason than because he sucked.

She was uptight that way, he brooded.

But she was also _inspiring_ in her own way, as a grin broke on his face and he turned back to the baby. He would keep the baby happy and if this didn't work, well, he'd admit defeat and go get Maka. She was a natural with kids, to his slight annoyance.

"Hey, Kirin, look! Look at me!" Soul pulled his face into various strange expressions. Kirin calmed for the slightest bit, blown away by the faces he made. She hiccupped, the last of her sobs evaporating, and giggled when Soul stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes. She laughed full out when he accompanied the faces with ridiculous – certainly uncool – sounds, clapping and urging him to continue with every face he made.

And he supposed he got carried away, chuckling when Kirin tried to imitate him.

He crossed his eyes, slurping out: "Bleeee—!"

"Soul, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Maka squawked, bewildered by the scene before her.

Soul froze, fingers hooked in his mouth to pull his lips back and show his sharp teeth. His tongue hanging out, hair askew and saliva dripping down his chin, they stared at one another for a few long seconds before Maka burst out laughing. She clutched the doorframe, Kirin joining her in laughter, and Soul scowled and turned away from her in embarrassment.

He wiped the drool off his chin with his sleeve, struggling to pass this entire incident off coolly.

But her hard laughter was making it hard to do so.

"Haven't you ever heard of _knocking_?" Soul scathingly asked, but Maka merely giggled. His face felt flushed; that wasn't cool.

"Why? It's not like you have anything to hide from me!" She beamed, bouncing over to Kirin. She lifted her out of her baby seat, and before Soul could retort to that, she arranged her face in the same silly expression Soul had been wearing before.

Kirin squealed, laughing loudly.

Soul snorted but managed to pull on a haughty smirk at each silly face Maka made. He stood up to aid her, deciding that what she said was true. What _did_ he have to hide from his meister? She cleaned his room daily, she shopped for his clothes at times, she had listened to every record and CD he kept in his bookcase upon his insistence – and sometimes out of her own volition.

There was nothing to hide, he thought, yet an uncomfortable _something _tightened his chest. Although he may have nothing to hide in the external world, there was _much _he kept from her inside. But he pushed those dark thoughts away, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're doing it all wrong - let a pro show you how to do it." He joked, earning a grin from Maka.

He wasn't as bad with kids as he said he was, Maka decided, watching her weapon throw Kirin into fits of giggles with every comical expression.

He just didn't know it yet.

* * *

><p><strong>Lacrow's Note<strong>

Aww, thanks Scarlet, you made my day with that comment! (I honestly forgot about your notes!) To everyone else, the piece is short, but as my English teacher Ms. Jaramillo used to say, "It's gotta be like a lady's skirt. Long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to keep them interested" :P

Chapter 4 is coming _very_ soon. I've seen some great ideas in your reviews, and I believe I even messaged one of you. Your next assignment? Tell us _your_ worst baby story. Little brother/sister throw up on you? Baby cousin ran around butt naked at a grocery store? We wanna know! Just P.M or leave a review, and again, if you want us to and it's good enough, we just might use your story!


	4. At the Park

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater. Scarlet, however, _might _own Soul Eater. You know what they say about people and the internet. I'm talking to you, Ookubo Atsushi! Whoever you may be posing as...

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><p><strong>Babies at the Park<strong>

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><strong><em>Soul<em>**

11 a.m. Sunday morning in Death City, U.S.A. It was a pretty mild day considering how hot the desert usually got, with temperatures usually reaching into the nineties at all times of the day. All in all, it was a good day to be outside. That was why a certain white headed boy had gone out, at the request of a certain blonde haired girl, with a certain (equally) blonde baby girl. A stroller parked next to the brown bench that he sat on, Soul leaned back and rocked the wheeled cart with his foot, baby Kirin fast asleep under the shade of Shibusen's park/training ground.

Sunlight peaking through the tiny spaces between the leaves, he sighed as he closed his eyes. There wasn't really anything more he could do than that, besides maybe fall asleep himself. Kirin was too young to get on any swings or rides (not that there were any to begin with) and she'd been asleep the entire half hour they had been there. Unfortunately for him, he was in charge of her, and he couldn't jump on the nap time bandwagon with the little bundle.

"What the hell are we doing here?" he muttered under his breath.

A gentle breeze picked up, causing the shadows of the leaves to sway as they moved to and fro. Out of sheer boredom and slight exhaustion, he let the wind soothe him as he drifted into a cool mellow. It was peaceful there. Kirin was doing what babies do best (besides poop and drool) and he was doing what he excelled at as well, which was chill. Everything was cool. Everything was calm.

"What on earth _are_ you doing here?"

Soul's eyes flashed open. He bolted upright, turning his head to the direction of the words. A bewildered Kid met his eyes, a basketball held between his hands out in front of him (symmetrically.) He had on shorts and it seemed like he had been running around, but Soul didn't worry about that. He swallowed a knot in the back of his throat. He wasn't expecting anyone he knew to be there, least of all for them to see him with a _stroller, _and a _baby _in that stroller no less.

"Uh, hey Kid. What's up?"

"Well, Black Star wanted to have a guys day out, so for the past few hours I've been running around trying to keep up with the little fool. We tried calling you, but you weren't home. Speaking of which..." the dark haired boy trailed off, eying the stroller Soul's foot still unknowingly rested on. "...you haven't answered my question."

Eyes wide, he flashed a quick look at baby Kirin, then at his foot. Retracting it quickly, Soul brought a fist to his mouth as he coughed into it, an attempt in vain at trying to cover for the squeaky noise of the stroller's wheels as it rocked from the movement.

"Nothing."

"Quite." Kid replied in a flat tone, still staring at the baby in the cart. "I'm assuming you're watching this baby for someone? Or have you and Maka been keeping secrets?"

Soul snorted. "That's fuckin rich! Like that'd ever happen."

Kid's brow raised. "Exactly, which one of those things is so ridiculous?"

The scene suddenly became very awkward as Soul caught himself with a slight twinge of red in his face. He tried to keep cool, but Kid's ever growing smile dug into him.

"I'm watching the kid for some neighbors. Maka asked me to take her out for a while. That's all!"

"Calm down, Soul." Kid replied, still smiling knowingly at him. "As if I'd really believe anything more than that were happening."

Soul reached for the back of his head, scratching it as he looked to side. "Yeah, well, not like anything more than that _could _happen between us..."

"You're so _whipped!"_

His attention was quickly forfeited to the loud mouthed blue haired boy that jumped down from the trees behind him, not at all surprised by the display. He had grown accustomed to his best friend's antics, and the fact that Kid had mentioned him earlier just gave Soul more reason to suspect that he would pop up soon. As if picking up on the other's lack of enthusiasm, Black Star rushed over to him and threw his arm around Soul, pressing their cheeks together as he laughed, the latter quickly annoyed.

"The hell are you talking bout?" Soul growled, trying to break free from the other's strong grip.

"What am _I _talking about? What are _you _talking about?" the assassin grinned at him as he poked a finger at his chest. "Taking care of babies! Letting Maka tell you what to do! Either you're getting some of the good stuff in return, or you sir, are whipped_!"_

_"_Fuck off. I'm so not in the mood for you." he quipped, ducking out of the headlock that he was placed in.

Black Star threw his arms behind his back and roared with laughter as he stepped away. "I'm sure that's what Maka said when she sent you outside! One baby too many? Trouble in paradise?"

Soul quickly jumped to his feet and opened his mouth to say something back, but the sudden whines and cries coming from the stroller cut him off. He halted instantly and spun around to see Kirin very much awake, her arms and legs flailing as the cries started to grow louder and louder. Black Star's incessant laughter kept agitating her further, and Soul went into a panic as he tried to figure out what to do. Picking the little one up from her stroller, he bounced her in his arms as he pleaded for her to keep quiet.

"Kirin! There's no reason to cry! Shh! I know, Black Star's a jerk! Please calm do-! Aw crap..."

His begging only caused the baby to cry even louder, her mouth only inches from his ear as he took the full force of her lungs. Then of course he had to deal with Black Star's continued laughter as well, their volumes almost completely in sync as they blasted their terrible noises. He might have been his best friend, but Soul had never been closer to killing him than he had that moment.

Still bouncing her in his arms, Soul sent a death glare Black Star's way. "You bastard!" he hissed.

"What I do?" the blue haired boy grinned, hands coming down from behind his head.

"You woke up Kirin with your big mouth, dumbass!"

Black Star stuck a finger in his ear. "You're the one cussin' in front of a baby. You aught to be ashamed!"

Kirin still screaming in his shoulder and his patience wearing thin, Soul seriously contemplated tossing the baby back into the stroller just so he could get his hands on the little runt of an assassin. Thankfully, after observing quietly from afar the entire time, Kid decided to step in before Soul had the opportunity.

"That's enough, Black Star." Kid called to him, a shade of annoyance in his tone. "Come on. We still need to get some practice shots in before heading to the movies."

The god in training sneered. "Alright Kid! Guess I'll grace you with my presence for the next few hours!"

"I can't contain my joy." Kid replied with a half-smile as he tossed the basketball to Black Star. The latter caught it easily.

After putting all his effort into it and secretly praying for her to stop, little Kirin finally ceased her crying. Soul sighed as he heard the whining come to an end, and her head fall limp as she again fell back to sleep. Very gently (while at the same time keeping an eye on Black Star) he made his way over to the stroller and placed her in it. Covering her with a blanket and putting the visor down, he slowly stepped away from it as he held his breath. When there was no more response from her, he figured the ordeal was finally over.

"Never have kids guys." Soul shook his head, sighing in relief.

"I don't plan to." the shinigami called from afar.

Suddenly Black Star halted his jeers. He blinked for a moment, then turned towards his black haired friend. "Uhm, Kid?"

"Yes, Black Star?"

"Do death gods _have_ babies?"

Kid shook his head. "Obviously, Black Star!"

"...Obviously what?"

Soul and Black Star watched in earnest as Kid opened his mouth multiple times to answer, only to close it after each attempt. After about the fifth time trying he suddenly stopped altogether and instead he simply turned around and, without a sound, made his way to the basketball courts on the other side of the city. The duo watched him for a moment as their question went unanswered. Giving each other a quick look and a shrug, Black Star waited as Soul grabbed Kirin's stroller and together the two of them rushed to catch up with the significantly redder death god as he stomped off.

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><p><strong>A.N. <strong>

I admit, I cheated a bit, considering Maka isn't _actually _in this piece. But, at least you get sexual innuendos! Enjoy.

No assignment this time per say (go forth and frolic in celebration.) Instead, we wanna know where _you _think shinigami babies come from. It's never been addressed before who Kid's mom is, or even if death gods HAVE moms. I don't know, that's why I wrote this. You figure it out amongst yourselves :P

In the meantime, the lovely Poisoned Scarlet is up next. What's her piece about? Even I don't know yet! The anticipation...!


	5. Forgotten

**A/N: **Coming up with scenarios that involve babies really is quite fun. I was torn between three but I ended up letting my blank document decide – as in, I just wrote and wondered what monstrosity I would create this time x3

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><p><strong>Babies Forgotten<br>by. **_Poisoned Scarlet_

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><p><em><strong>Maka<strong>_

Maka often wondered if she was as stable as her friends made her out to be. The hot Nevada sun beat down upon her sweat-slicked skin like hot knives; each gust of air hotter than the last. Her tank top was glued to her skin and shifted uncomfortably with every weakened step. The dusty trail snaked endlessly before her, higher and higher until she could see nothing but a seemingly unreachable ledge at the top.

She had never made this far without stopping to catch her breath, much less jogging. She remembered the first day she tried climbing this trail on her own: how she'd collapsed on her knees and wheezed for breath and thanked every deity she could think of that her sharp-mouthed partner had not accompanied her. She made it a point to never show weakness in front of him and not being able to even make it half-way through a hike was certainly _uncool._

But she was almost there – _jogging, while at it –_ and although her thighs burned with retribution and her calves threatened to snap under the taut tension of her muscles, she would make it to the top without faltering even once; no matter how much she wanted to.

She owed this to her scythe and to herself: if she were to usurp her mother, Maka would push herself until she could go on no farther.

Suddenly, her leg vibrated, and her thoughts snapped with bewilderment. But memory came crashing back and she remembered she had hastily stuffed her cellphone in her pocket at the last moment, as Kirin's mother had sheepishly told her the night before that she may need some helping taking care of her.

Maka was torn.

The end of the trail was _right there_, a few devastating steps away, but she would never make it in time to answer the call.

She needed to make a decision.

Soul's Deathscythe status or sweet little Kirin.

They were both evenly tied.

Maka decided she wouldn't let herself be held back by such shrewd limitations.

"H...hello?" Maka puffed, jogging up the steep path. Her eyes stared resolutely ahead. "Oh, hi...Mrs. Knightly." Maka smiled faintly at the concern that laced her question at her faint words. "Oh, no...I'm fine...just...hiking..."

She could nearly taste victory on her tongue, as she steadily reached the peak. She had been jogging the long, winded, path up the mountainside for the past two hours and, although half-way through she'd felt ready to throw in the towel, the path too long and treacherous, the feeling disappeared and replaced with an uplifting adrenaline she could still feel shooting through her veins.

It was a few steps away now – she sped up, breathing hard; heart in her throat.

Almost there—!

"_HE WHAT?" _Maka shrieked, and her faithful stride shattered. She tripped, falling on her knees, and the phone nearly skidded out of her hand as Mrs. Knightly's sheepish laughter rang out from the speaker. Maka breathed in the dust, wide-eyed in both disbelief and incredulity, and ground out: "...what do _mean _he forgot Kirin at the park today?"

"_Don't worry, Maka, I was coming back from the grocers and Soul was heading home. He looked quite distracted – you should have seen his face when he saw me and remembered about Kirin! I've never seen someone run so fast!" _Mrs. Knightly heartily chuckled. "_Don't be so hard on him – he apologized when he saw me again!"_

"Oh, well, at least he did _that_." Maka spat, regaining her breath. The plume of dust settled and Maka could vaguely hear the footfalls from the other hikers near her. "I'm _so_ sorry Mrs. Knightly... It won't ever happen again – I promise!"

"_It's okay! I was just calling to see if you were free this evening. My husband wants to take me out to dinner and, well, there is no one else..._"

"Yes, I'm free tonight. And I'll make sure _not_ to lose Kirin!" Maka added, firmly.

Mrs. Knightly laughed and left off with a cheery goodbye; no doubt excited about having a night alone with her beloved husband and being reassured that her infant would be in capable hands.

Maka flipped on her stomach, closed her phone in her palm, and digested what had just happened.

Soul forgot Kirin in the park.

Mrs. Knightly was strangely calm at the fact.

She felt on the verge of murdering her scythe.

She wearily noted that at least her hand managed to reach the end of the trail.

* * *

><p>When Maka slammed the door open to their apartment, Soul very nearly leaped out of his seat. The remote control clattered to the floor noisily and he stared at her, his shock quickly melting into concern at the scrapes on her knees and the muddy dirt she had matted on her shirt and thighs.<p>

"Whoa, Maka, what happened?" Soul asked, standing up and readying to rush to the bathroom to get some bandages for her bloody knees.

"What happened?" Maka hissed, cracking her knuckles. Soul took a wary step back, knowing he was going to get it now. For what? He'd have to wait to find out. "What do you mean, _what happened_? Soul, how could you _forget _a baby at the park?"

Soul cringed. "Oh. So you heard about that."

Rage choked up her throat. She didn't know if she would be able to even reach over to grab a book and slam it on his skull; it seemed too light of a punishment. Eyes watering with fury, teeth clenched so tightly they grinded, Maka wordlessly turned to head down the hall. She slammed the door to the bathroom with enough force to knock down a frame from the wall.

And Soul watched mutely. With dread welling in his chest, he sat back down on the couch. The television program he'd been enjoying previously no longer caught his attention – he was raptly listening to every muffled swear and curse and thump that came from the bathroom down the hall.

And when she came back out, in a pink bathrobe with her hair a flat sheet of ash blond down her back, her look was as withering as it was burning and he winced when she marched into her bedroom and slammed that door closed, too.

Thankfully, no more frames fell off their walls.

Soul dared to inch his way into the hall to pick up the one that had fallen when she entered the bathroom. It was uncool, but he feared for his well-being as he hooked it up on the wall again. He didn't think she'd be so angry because he forgot Kirin at the park – he'd been distracted by what Black Star and Kid had told him a few days ago and, being in the same park again, seated in the same bench, the conversation had flooded his mind until it was all he could think of.

It didn't help that Kirin had been very quiet that day; dozing in her stroller without a care in the world.

Soul jumped when Maka returned, dressed in a pair of basketball shorts and a camisole. His eyes narrowed at the saggy shorts she wore; a faded blue, with a familiar tear on the edges...

"Hey, aren't those mine—!" Soul snapped his mouth shut at the deadly look she gave him. Soul heaved a sigh, watching her walk to the refrigerator and take out the jug of water. "Maka?"

"What?" She hissed.

"...I said I was sorry."

"I know. She told me."

He couldn't help it: he muttered, "Then what're you so pissed off about?"

"What am I—? God, Soul, you're such a _dumbass_!" Maka cried, slamming the cup of water on the table. "You left a _baby _in the park_, alone_, and who knows what would have happened to her if you hadn't seen Mrs. Knightly coming down the street! Hell, you probably wouldn't have remembered you were taking care of Kirin in the first place if it weren't for her!"

"I would so!" Soul defended himself, anger spiking at her lack-of-faith in him. "I knew I was forgetting something while I walking!"

"But how long would it have taken you to remember about Kirin?"

"I dunno'! But not that long!"

"_Ugh_! You're so unbelievable!" Maka shouted in frustration, turning her back towards him. She furiously finished her cup of water, pouring herself another and willing the bubbling rage to cool once more. The shower had managed to ebb away the blinding rage and frustration at her slothful, smart-mouthed and, apparently, _forgetful_ partner, but just watching him lounge around on the couch as if nothing was wrong grated on her nerves like nothing else.

Was she the only one who was seeing the entire picture? Even Mrs. Knightly didn't sound so concerned for the well-being of her own daughter! So many horrifying scenarios had flashed through her head, surely Mrs. Knightly had sickened herself with worry and rage when she realized what had happened?

Maka didn't need to look behind her to know that Soul had stood up. There was a quiet clack – the remote being placed on the coffee table – before his silent footsteps approached her. She contemplated breaking the cup on his head but figured it wouldn't break anyway: his head was too hard, she immaturely thought.

He was cautious as he placed a hand on her shoulder. When she did not shrug it off as he had anticipated, he said: "Sorry. It won't happen again."

"Like hell it will!" She spat, spitefully. Soul winced at her tone but did not remove his hand. Instead, he remembered something his brother used to do to him whenever he was cross with him. Soul wrapped his arm around her neck and brought her into him, feeling a prick of nostalgia at the pose, and felt relief spread through him when she relaxed in his hold.

"...She was pissed, y'know." Soul whispered.

"Who?"

"Mrs. Knightly." He shifted, resting his chin on her shoulder. "She yelled at me for five whole minutes. Thought she'd hit me with a book for a second." He managed a weak grin when Maka snorted. "But she forgave me 'cause...I told her I had a lot on my mind."

Maka's brows creased and she turned her head. He startled back, his face warming when he felt her breath brush his lips. That was too close for comfort, he thought with a gulp, far too close.

"Is something wrong?" Maka asked, concern sanding away the remnants of her anger. "You've been really quiet these past few days..." He was usually quiet but this was a different type of quiet; a thoughtful, forlorn, one. "Soul?"

"...It's nothing." He deflected and dropped his arm from around her. She felt cold instantly. "I broke a string on my guitar and I couldn't find any at the shop so it was bugging me."

He was lying.

She knew when he lied.

"Oh." She watched him stretch out his arms over his head, avoid her eyes, and head back to the couch where he sprawled himself over the cushions and continued wasting away the evening. "Well...did you learn your lesson?" She asked, with a spark of her past anger.

"Yeah." Soul muttered. "Never leave a baby at a park or else her mom'll bite my head off..."

Maka smiled and put the jug of water away with more calm. She didn't slam the door to the refrigerator, either. "Good. As long as you learned your lesson, you're forgiven."

Although she couldn't see it, he breathed out in relief.

"And...Soul?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated only for a second; remembering her hike and how she had made it to the top after picking herself off the floor. She would return to the trail next time and reach the top uninterrupted, of this she was sure. "You know that if something's bothering you, you can talk to me, right?"

"...Yeah."

But he didn't get up, nor did he tell her what had been so pressing, so engrossing, that he had actually forgotten all about baby Kirin.

* * *

><p><strong>Lacrow's Note<strong>

You may be asking yourself, Lacrow, have you ever left a baby at the park before? Well, no one's ever caught me, so the answer is _-legaly-_ no.

Unanswered questions aside, you have been given a new assignment! Biggest baby related fears. We all have them, so we want to know what _your _particular reservation about taking care of a little one is. Afraid of them being kidnapped? Worried they might get into something? Or you may be like me and absolutely DREAD the thought of them drooling on you...*shudders*


	6. At Papa's House

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Soul Eater.

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><p><strong>Babies at Papa's House<strong>

**by. **Lacrow

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><p><strong>Maka<strong>

Maka shuffled Kirin between her arms, the little one giggling and stretching for reasons unknown. Both of them waited outside the door of a _very _nice apartment building, probably one of the better ones in all of Death City. The older girl blew a stray lock of hair from her face; she wasn't impressed. He was Lord Death's personal weapon, so of course he got some benefits out of the deal, one of them being ample accommodations. Still though, there Maka found herself, waiting on her father to open the door after ringing the bell for the second time in under a minute.

Her patience grew thin. Again she rung the doorbell as Kirin started to use her as a jungle gym, tugging at the blonde's hair while simultaneously pulling down the collar of her shirt with the insane strength she had for a child her age. Maka's eyes narrowed. She couldn't get mad at the baby, but she could definitely take it out on her father.

"Papa! Open up, dammit!"

Her ticked off growl caused a shuffle inside. An exasperated gasp from beyond the apartment walls, and in no time at all the door to her father's home flew open. A red-headed death-scythe stood in the doorway, completely bewildered as to why his beloved daughter was there to visit him but ecstatic nonetheless.

That is, however, until he saw the bouncing baby in her arms. "Maka?"

Her brows flattened. "Hey dad."

"Um, angel?" he started shakily, slowly pointing at the little girl climbing all over _his _little girl. "What is that?"

Maka sighed. "Honestly, do all you men think the same? That's exactly what Soul said when he found out I had Kirin."

"What do you mean, _when you had Kirin_?"

She shook her head. "The moron came home drunk one night. Next thing he knows, there's a baby giggling in front of me."

Spirit's eyes quickly got very wide and he clutched the sides of the door frame tightly with one of his hands. Maka watched, baffled, as he pulled at his collar and sucked in air. Sweat started to drip from him in bulk, and he stared at his daughter with a pleading look. He was being dramatic as usual, the only problem was she wasn't exactly sure _why_ this time.

"The hell does Soul Eater have to do with this!" he gaped, motioning to the little one in her arms.

His daughter's cheeks puffed in annoyance. "First of all, _this _isn't a thing. Her _name_ is Kirin. Second, Soul's been taking care of her with me for the past few months."

"_Months?" _Spirit repeated, jaw wide open.

The girl blinked. "Well, yeah. Soul liked having the baby and so did I, so now we take care of her. In fact, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have even had Kirin in the first place-"

"-Oh dear god!"

Spirit slowly fell to the floor as his hands scraped along the edges of the door frame, both Maka and Kirin watching in silence as he slid down like a slug until finally plopping onto the ground. Tears strung down his face as he inched himself like a caterpillar towards her, the entire time blubbering some incoherent words underneath his breath. Maka had no idea why he was acting so emotional and deep down she wanted to smack him for being such a drama queen, but for the sake of her errand that she came to his house to run, she simply bit her lip and bore through it.

"Please tell me..." Spirit hiccuped, reaching for his daughter's leg. "...that you're not a mother yet Maka! My baby's too young for a baby!"

Her face instantly became bright red. Is _that _what he was going on about? She couldn't believe how mentally challenged he was. The thought of how her mother ever fell for someone as childish as him was beyond her. Infuriated by his idiocy and stupid remark, the meister quickly wretched her leg away from the inconsolable Spirit, making sure to bring her foot down on his face as she stepped over him and into his apartment.

Making herself right at home, Maka made sure to sit Kirin up on the couch as she sat right next to her. The living room was directly across from the front door and the couch faced it, so that when Spirit finally picked himself up from his spot on the floor, the little baby squealed in joy at the look on his face as he came back inside. A large shoe print lined his forehead, making him look like a doormat that had been used one too many times.

"So...you're not a mama?" Spirit sniffed, rubbing the obvious wound on his head.

Maka glared at him. That's all the answer he needed.

"Right, well..." he coughed, the maturity slowly starting to return to him. "...what did you come here for, sweetheart?"

She sighed, looking at Kirin as she did. Maka had always promised herself that she would _never _come to her papa for anything, especially involving money. She always took great pride in the fact that she could make it by on her own with no help from anyone, with the one exception being of course her partner Soul. Unfortunately, he wasn't there at the moment. And the rent cost money, along with laundry and food.

All of which was already paid off of course, but out of her own wallet. There wasn't anything left to spare, which was not a good thing when trying to keep a one year old baby occupied for a whole day. Especially not on one's own.

"I was...wondering if I can borrow some money? Not a lot, just maybe twenty dollars to hold me over till Soul gets back?"

Spirit's eyes lit up, thrilled that his daughter was actually asking for his help. "Of course you can! I can give you more if you need it!"

"Twenty's fine." she grumbled, still staring at the now crawling baby on the couch.

The over excited father could not pull out his wallet quick enough. Within a flash he was already at Maka's side, reaching desperately for a green back to thrust into her hands. Finally finding one, he reached out to give it to his daughter, only to stop for a moment as a thought crossed his mind. The blonde looked up at him, noticing his stare at her. Stroking his chin, Spirit had a coy look plastered to his face as he brought it closer to hers. Awkward to say the least, again Maka swallowed the rage building inside her and merely closed her eyes in annoyance.

"What are you doing now, papa?" Maka asked flatly, a noticeable twitch in her forehead.

He didn't respond, which caused his daughter even more agitation. In a quiet simmer, Maka snatched the dangling bill from his hand and stuffed it in her pocket. Not seeming to notice, Spirit continued his gaze until finally breaking off unexpectedly. Kirin's coos must have been what snapped him out of it, as now the little one was propping herself up with her arms, experimenting with trying to stand up on the couch even though she was nowhere near old enough to.

Recomposing himself, Spirit cleared his throat. "I was just wondering why if Soul Eater's such a good babysitter, then how come he left you and Kirin by yourself?"

Maka cringed. It must have been noticeable too, because the red death scythe crossed his arms the moment she did. That little comment sent her mind racing. Where was Soul again? After a moment to think she remembered. He was summoned by Lord Death, something about being 'informed of his duties', whatever that meant. The young meister shook her head to ease herself, there wasn't any reason to worry.

Maka shrugged. "Lord Death wanted to see him. He _is _a death scythe you know."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that he left you with no money!" her father replied with puffed up cheeks reminiscent of her own. "That's just irresponsible! Some babysitter he is!"

"Like you're one to talk. I'm surprised you didn't have a floozy over when I came knocking."

This time it was Spirit who cringed. His daughter's flat gaze and sour tone caused the man child to start sweating with panic, tears welling up to his eyes as his ever present guilt began to strike yet again. Maka rolled her eyes as her father fell to the floor, reaching for her leg a second time as he continued to insist that he only loved her and her mother. The sight was so old by now that the girl flat out ignored him this time, opting instead to pick up Kirin and set the baby down on her lap. The little one squirmed in place, enjoying the new sights and sounds while at the same time giggling at the crazy man crying on the floor. Maka's eyes watched both of them, but her attention was elsewhere.

She had forgotten that besides going to shibusen, Soul had told her that afterwards he would be out with Black Star. The rest of the day, to do god knows what while she and Kirin stayed home. At the time Maka had said that it was fine and to go on, but the more the girl thought about it, the more she regretted the idea. There was just something about staying home taking care of a kid, while your partner goes out to have a good time, that just didn't feel right. The thought gnawed at her, and a shudder ran up her spine as realized what she was thinking. Is this was parents go through?

Maka sighed to herself, both in frustration at her father and slight depression at her partners absence. "Soul, please get back soon..."

For a minute or two after that, the only thing that could be heard in that ritzy apartment of theirs was Spirit's obnoxious cries for recognition. Kirin soon became fed up with the loud noises, and she too started to get ancy. Between the baby's whines and the _bigger _baby's tears, Maka was mere seconds away from bolting out of that place with or without Kirin. Luckily for her and everyone else involved, the loud scene was suddenly hushed by the sounds of a revving motorcycle from outside.

Maka's heart leaped from her chest. She knew that sound anywhere. Without so much as a word, the girl slid her leg from her father's grasp and hopped off the couch with a whiny Kirin in her arms. Spirit sniffed, looking up from his spot to see Maka open the door and rush over to the stairway. She looked past the rails and saw the unmistakable shape of Soul's bike, the white haired whom it belonged to still sitting on top of it as she approached.

"Soul!" Maka called out, rushing up to him with Kirin in tow. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be with Star all day."

Climbing off, the white scythe slid the kick stand down casually. "Well, I figured it wouldn't be fair to leave you with her all day. Especially after that incident in the park..."

Soul grinned warily as Maka narrowed her eyes at him a bit, but quickly the annoyance left her. She was just happy that he came back to help her, because there was no way she would be resorting to her papa for anything anymore. Kirin seemed to agree in her own little way, the baby reaching desperately to grab a hold of Soul Eater. The boy gave an awkward face as he took Kirin from Maka, finally giving in and smiling as the little one blew raspberries at him.

"Guess I couldn't leave you two anyway." he mumbled.

Maka's eyes brightened at his words. "Good to hear. So, what's the plan?"

"Well," he sighed, shifting the child in his arms. "I figured we'd just go home and watch a movie or something. I've got enough cash for that and some ramen."

_"Don't tell me you're going to put the kid on a motorcycle!"_

Both Soul and Maka looked up to find Spirit hanging over the rails above them, wagging his finger accusingly at Soul as if to tell Maka 'I told you so'. The young blonde's face instantly flushed bright red with anger, while her weapon just gave the more experienced death scythe a toothy sneer.

"Don't be a fricken moron! I was gonna leave my bike here and walk with them back home!"

"_What did you just call-!"_

"-Seriously?" Maka gaped at Soul, shutting her father out of the conversation.

He gave his meister an annoyed glare as Kirin squirmed in his arms. "Of course! I was gonna come back and pick it up later. You think I'd just drive off and leave you alone with a _baby_? Guess you don't think too highly of me."

A warm smile spread across Maka's face. Truth was, she really did think highly of him at the moment. He had given up a day of fun with his best friend, for her and a fifteen month old baby that still on occasion drooled. Not the most thrilling of days, but she was sure that he realized that when he chose them over Black Star.

Still, that didn't stop Maka from grabbing Soul's hand as she lead him towards their apartment near the outer parts of Death City. Spirit's stunned gawks rang out through the complex as she laced her fingers through her bewildered weapon's and ran her other hand through Kirin's stringy hair. The three of them making their way down the side walk along the apartments was an interesting sight to be sure, but Soul was oblivious to the fact, and Maka of course didn't care in the least.

"In a hurry?" he asked simply as his meister tugged at his hand.

"You could say that." the girl replied as came next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Kirin having done the same thing a moment before, the two girls shared that one piece of him as their foreheads bumped into each other softly. Soul simply gave an amused snort, and allowed them their minute of indulgence as the three of them together made their way down the cobble stone streets of shibusen.

"By the way, we're ordering pizza instead. You think twenty dollars will cover it?"

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

Sorry for the delay. I've been out of it for a while, but Scarlet helped me get the creative juices flowing again. *sigh* Where would I be without my partner in crime?

Your previous posts sure were interesting, apparently I'm not the only one who's deathly afraid of baby spit, so that's good to know. Anyway, moving on. Next assignment! This time, you're given a choice.

**1) Your significant other tells you that it's ok to go out with your friends, even though you _know _that they'll probably need your help with the baby. What do you do?**

or

**2) Your significant other wants to go out with their friends, but you'll end up being stuck with a baby by yourself all day. What do you tell them?**


	7. Taking Naps

**A/N: **Aha, spontaneous writing for the win! I have nothing else to say – and whatever I _did_ want to say has been forgotten. Don't you hate it when that happens? I'll remember what I wanted to write _after _Lacrow posts the chapter, just you wait…

* * *

><p><p>

**Babies Taking Naps  
>by. <strong>_Poisoned Scarlett_

* * *

><p><p>

**_Soul_**

"Stupid old man…" Soul muttered irately, shoving his keys in his jacket. He ruffled his wind-blown hair back to its normal, spiky, look and made his way to his apartment. He hadn't been in such a terrible mood until Spirit crashed he and Black Star's casual hang out by the track at Shibusen with threats of tearing his balls off if he so much as _looked_ at Maka the wrong way.

Usually, Soul attended after school clubs on Wednesday's. It was something Maka had encouraged he do although he'd much rather be at home looking after a fifteen month old baby than dealing with the uncool members of the Music Club.

It wasn't so much a music club as it was a place to casually hook up.

Soul had lost count of how many of his friends had suddenly gotten girlfriends after joining the club. He wasn't sure if it was the cool image of guys rocking out on guitars or just a convenient way to get to know your crush that had caused such an increase in couples.

_"Y'know, you should bring Maka over." Black Star grinned, nudging his arm with his elbow._

_"What for? Music isn't her thing." Soul said, frowning. "She'd be bored. Hell, I'm bored."_

_"Just bring her over!" Black Star insisted, smirking at his skepticism. "Who knows? Maybe you'll hook up with her, too! Or maybe she'll hook up with some other nerd – like that one!" Black Star rudely pointed to the scrawny boy who pushed his glasses up his straight nose; muttering under his breath, hazel eyes glued to the music book in his hand._

_Soul snorted. "Yeah, right. As if she'd go for someone as uncool as him."_

But the thought bothered Soul. Black Star had meant it jokingly but the entire time – until Spirit decided to drop by and publicly humiliate him for the hundredth time – he had scrutinized the reserved boy Black Star had chosen out at random.

He wore straight, black, pants and a white, Oxford, button-up shirt that appeared to be ironed; the Shibusen logo patched neatly on his right breast. His skin wasn't splotchy with acne, it was a pale white, unlike Soul's healthy tan, which gave Soul the impression that the boy didn't go out very much. His eyes were a mixture of forest green and brown; specks of auburn giving them a brighter look. His thick, horn-rimmed, glasses perched on his nose completed his nerdy look perfectly.

In that boys hands, an AP Music Theory book. On his back, a backpack that bulged with books and other such things. Soul wouldn't be surprised if he had a graphing calculator somewhere in there – Maka had one, after all, as well as four back up pencils and pens , two highlighters , sticky notes, paperclips, and a stapler. Soul would _swear _he saw a stapler floating amongst her flood of school supplies.

But those details didn't matter – what _did _was the fact that, as the boy opened his mouth and a plethora of perfectly constructed sentences escaped his lips, that boy and Maka would make the perfect match. He was intelligent; she was intelligent. He likely liked to read; she _did_ like to read. He probably thought taking leisure strolls in the park, or hanging out at bookstores, or even staying for the after-school study sessions, was fun… and so did Maka.

Soul slammed the door to the apartment in his rage. However, instead of Maka's snap to be careful, the apartment remained silent and his boiling rage was quickly drained by the soft blubbering that came from down the hall.

"Maka?" Soul called, carefully. "Yo, Maka!" When he heard nothing, Soul dropped his backpack by the couch and headed down the hall in search of the noise. He pushed her bedroom door open carefully, in case she was busy with something and did not want to be disturbed, but instead he was met with a sight that made him smile and completely forget his annoyance.

Kirin was on her back, clapping her hands joyously while Maka slept by her side. She must have fallen asleep accidentally because she was still in her uniform and she had not taken off her thick-soled boots.

"Hey, kid." Soul greeted, poking Kirin on the forehead. The little girl squealed and reached for his hand again; giggling when Soul shushed her. "Shh, Maka's sleeping. You don't wanna' wake up Maka – she's a beast when she's tired." He grinned when Kirin brightly smiled, as if understanding him, and he sat down on the edge of the mattress.

He lifted the baby off her back and placed her on his lap as he had seen Maka do so many times before. Kirin was immediately attracted to the metal buckles of his jacket, her small hands trying so very hard to grasp them and pull them into her mouth.

"Quit it – jeez, why do you always wanna' put stuff in your mouth? That's dangerous." Soul chuckled, poking her forehead again. Kirin seemed dazed for a moment before she laughed and tried to reach for the buckles of his jacket again. "Stubborn, huh? You've been hanging out with Maka too much. You need someone cool like me to chill you out." Soul grinned when Kirin looked up and laughed.

"Ugh…Soul?" Maka's drowsy voice interrupted their bonding moment.

"Finally awake, sleeping beauty?" Soul smirked when Maka shot him a haggard glare, rolling on her side. She stretched out, her back cracking with satisfaction, before she propped herself up on her elbows and gave him a drowsy look. "Stay up late last night?"

"Yeah," Maka yawned. "I had to finish my lit review for Professor Stein's class. Hopefully he won't give it back to me for revision this time around…"

"Lit review?" Soul repeated, apprehensively. Was this another homework assignment he had totally forgotten about? It wouldn't be the first time. Stein had stopped sending him cold looks for forgetting his work after the twenty second time: he seemed satisfied enough with the fact that Maka completed her assignments excellently and punished him with a fierce Maka Chop...

"It's for the Meister class."

"Sweet, no homework!" Soul grinned and fell back on the bed. Kirin babbled to herself, crawling on his stomach. Soul made sure not to allow her to fall off his torso – Kirin wasn't usually very mobile but when she wanted to crawl, she was unstoppable.

"That's not true – Professor Stein said we had to read chapters ten and eleven!"

Immediately, Soul asked: "Did he say anything about doing the chapter summaries?"

"No…"

"Then we don't have homework." Soul flatly decided. Maka rolled her eyes.

"Well, _I'm _still going to read them. You should, too, Soul. It'd do you well to read sometime."

"Reading is so—!" Soul cut himself off. He felt a rush of unease settle in his gut again. He thought back to that nerdy guy at the Music Club today; how he and Maka would look so _great_ together. Jealousy swelled in his chest like an angry beast. "…Audiobooks are better."

"You listen to audiobooks?" Maka asked, surprised.

Soul inwardly cringed but he felt smug from the hopeful twinkle in her eye. What had he gotten himself into, though? He lied through his teeth! If he couldn't even muster the motivation to pick up a novel, he doubted he could summon enough will to download an audiobook to take up memory which could be used to store other cool things like jazz or rock…

"…Yeah."

"I didn't know that! No way!" Maka laughed brightly. Soul turned away nervously. "What books have you listened to?"

"Er…" _Now_ he was in deep shit. He had absolutely _no idea_ what books had been converted into audiobooks. He struggled to remember the titles on display at the mall the last time he accompanied Maka to buy a book but everything was a blurred rush. All he remembered was leaning against a wall, bobbing his head to alternative rock, while Maka browsed the shelves inside the bookstore for an hour and a half.

"Because I really like _The Chemical Garden trilogy_!" Maka added, excitedly. "Although the voice of the narrator isn't that great, the story is wonderful! I love the entire concept of…" And Soul breathed easy because she had seemingly forgotten her own question. He was thankful she had that habit when she was speaking about her interests.

But just because she had seemingly forgotten her own question didn't erase the gigantic event that had taken place a few seconds ago. It was a big statement, to say he actually listened to audiobooks, because Maka felt passionately for books just as he felt passionately for music.

Soul knew it wouldn't be cool if he didn't take back his lie and the next day she asked him about it and he responded with a blank look. She'd be angry and hurt for days. That nerdy boy flashed behind the lids of his eyes and Soul's teeth dug into his tongue to stifle a scoff. The last thing he needed was to be in contempt for lying.

"Maka!" Soul stopped her mid-rant and shifted his eyes down to Kirin's wide ones. They bore into his own innocently and he took a deep breath as he devised a plan to get himself out of the hole he had idiotically fallen into. Maka was an avid reader and she kept grudges: she would never let him live down this false confession if he let it go. "I, uh, don't really listen to audiobooks anymore…"

He'd listened to _one _and that was only because he thought it was a song by a band he was looking for. He had instantly deleted the track and went back to his mission of hunting down that song within the tangled web of the internet.

Maka looked crestfallen. "You don't?"

"Uh, no." Soul coughed, looking away. His eyes landed on a bookshelf and he bitterly thought that boy at the Music Club must also own a bookcase. It was probably filled with novels and textbooks; a paradise for people like Maka. They would exchange book titles and debate the themes within the novels they had read and _laugh and smile and draw closer and lean in and –!_

"Ow – hey!" Maka squeaked, when she was roughly pulled down by her partner. "What was that for, Soul?" She furiously demanded but he merely grabbed her hand. Kirin fell between the both of them soundly, rolling on her back a tired look in her eyes. "Soul!"

"Relax, Maka, Mrs. Knightly won't be back until eight, right?" Soul cracked an eye open to look at her before closing it again. "Kirin's tired. Right, Kirin?" The baby, thankfully, responded by yawning. "See?"

Maka pursed her lips and tried to sit up again. "I've already slept enough! If I fall asleep again, I won't be able to sleep at night – !"

"Then just lay down." Soul suggested, and pulled her down again. His hand refused to leave her own and although this initially annoyed her, she decided wrenching her hand out of his would discourage him in the future, and gave in with a last glare thrown in his direction. "You need to learn how to take it cool, Maka, and just sit back and relax…"

"You mean slug around like a sloth?"

"Now you're getting it." He smirked.

Maka sighed but refrained from commenting. She traced the shadows that splayed across her bedroom ceiling absently while Kirin's soft baby noises quieted and she fell asleep again. Maka glanced sidelong at Soul, who had his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep as well. For a second, she considered standing up and heading into the kitchen to grab a banana and maybe continue from where she had left off at in her latest novel...

"Don't even think about it." Soul drawled, lacing their fingers together to ensure she would not leave.

Maka sourly said. "I wasn't going to leave."

"Uh huh, and I'm not cool."

"You're not..." Maka mumbled rebelliously. Soul turned to look at her blankly, not believing a single word she said. After a second or two, she blew out a breath and sunk deeper into the bed. "You're just a nice guy."

"Not that again." Soul groaned. "That cramps my style, Maka, seriously."

"But it's _true_!" Maka insisted.

For a moment, Maka thought he would clam up again and brush her off coldly; with a scoff, a roll of the eyes, or a simple 'so uncool'. But instead, he surprised her, and said: "Yeah, I guess. It's what makes me so cool."

With nothing to say, Maka fell on her back again.

Kirin continued to sleep peacefully.

And Soul didn't let her hand go for an instant.

* * *

><p><strong>Lacrow's Note<strong>

Yeah, we say about every four days for updates, but even writers have lives! I'll be sure to add my chapter fairly soon though...if I get around to it :P

In the meantime, guess what time it is? That's right, it's _assignment_ time! Do opposites attract? Or are they doomed to repel? Just because two people act alike and have similar interests, does that necessarily mean they will get along? Give us your own take on the subject, answers need not be one or the other!


	8. Kill the Mood

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Soul Eater.

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><p><strong>Babies Kill the Mood<strong>

**by**. Lacrow

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><p><strong>-Soul-<strong>

It had been a while since he'd last had a drink.

After the last incident that ultimately ended with him taking care of a baby girl in his spare time, the allure of alcohol quickly left Soul. His reduced time with Black Star had an effect as well, with Kirin taking up most of his weekends and leaving him too busy to hang out with the god in-training. Maka's attitude towards the activity didn't help either, so by the time he realized it, the boy had been dry for a good four or five months. Hadn't missed it. Never needed it.

Unfortunately it wasn't mean to last, though it was hardly his fault. Soul insisted that he was too tired to go out that particular Friday night, though in all honesty he just wanted to stay home and watch TV while the girls played. Maka, feeling guilty for keeping him from his friends, convinced him otherwise. That just left Soul and Black Star four whole hours alone to themselves. Not surprisingly, one thing led to another, resulting in a slightly tipsy Deathscythe as he wobbled his way through the front door of his apartment.

Also not surprisingly, Maka wasn't thrilled.

"What the _hell _were you thinking!" she hissed at him in a hushed tone, careful not to wake up Kirin in her bedroom. "We have Kirin tonight!"

The woozy boy clutched his forehead as he tossed his keys on the counter. "I'm not hammered, Maka. I just had a few."

Maka let her seething eyes do most of the screaming. "I don't want her exposed to that!"

"The hell, Maka! What are you, my mother?"

"I'd mine as well be!"

Soul scoffed at the comment, but quickly grabbed whatever was nearest him before he could fall over. Maka rolled her eyes, arms across her chest as he slowly made his way past her. Before he could make it to the living room, she grabbed his arm and caught his attention, giving him a stern look as if to let him know he was in trouble. Oblivious to her gaze in his drunken state (or just not giving a dam) he simply stared back at her. Then his face quickly turned into a silly looking smile, which caught the girl off guard.

"What are you so happy about?" Maka asked, not letting up on her grip.

"Nooothing." he drawled, his lips curling ever wider. "Just thinking how funny it would be if you were my wife instead."

Taken aback, Maka shook her head at his comment, knowing full well it was the booze talking. "How much did you have to drink, Soul?"

With no reply, the normally cool Deathscythe slipped himself out of his mesiter's grasp. The latter was still angry, but his antics helped take her mind off it. Maka simply sighed in frustration as Soul made his way to the living room. He wasted no time in landing awkwardly onto the couch, still going on about the topic running through his hazy head.

"Yup. You're my wife. Kirin's our daughter. And Black Star's the god-mother!" he snickered.

Maka scowled. "Like that would ever happen!"

"Okay then, Kid can be the god-mother. He'd probably do a much better job anyway."

"That's not what I was talking about, Soul!" Maka hounded, still ticked at his inebriated state. "I meant there's no chance in hell I'd ever marry a moron like you!"

Soul lifted his hand from his eyes. Though emotions were cloudy and he couldn't react well, already Maka's words were registering in his mind as he sat up on the couch to look at her. At first she didn't notice him, apparently too irked to look at him directly. But as moments passed and she finally caught his gaze, the young meister immediately regretted what she had said.

In dismay, Maka saw his frown. Soul's emotions were clearly plastered on his face due to his drinking, with lowered inhibitions showing the hurt in his clouded eyes.

"You're a real bitch, you know that?" he said bluntly before falling backwards on the couch.

Soul closed his eyes after that, not caring about what his partner was doing anymore. The swirl in his head kept most of his focus as he tried to process what do do next. Should he go to bed and leave Kirin to Maka? It sounded like the best option, but the only problem was he'd probably fall flat on his face trying and end up sleeping on the floor. The thought of him throwing up sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't think he was _that _drunk, but hey, it wouldn't have been the first time.

Quickly Soul's thoughts were interrupted however, when he felt someone brush against him. He opened his eyes to find Maka's face hovering above his. She knelt on the floor beside the couch, and crossed her arms in front of her restrictively. The weapon said nothing as he waited for her to break the ice, his eyes focused on her's.

"I'm sorry." she finally said meekly.

He closed his eyes. Not out of annoyance, but nausea. "It's cool."

"I didn't mean it though." she continued, resting her head on his chest. "I was just angry. You know I don't like it when you drink!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry too." he mumbled apologetically.

Though his head was still fuzzy, Soul managed to peek through one of his eyes. He caught Maka's relieved smile, as if she were thankful that he didn't hate her. He cracked a grin himself and threw his head back against the pillow next to him. Maka in turn put one of her arms around his waist and tilted her head to face his.

"So, I take it we're not getting a divorce?"

Soul snorted at the comment. "Only if you can stop the room from spinning."

Maka shook her head against his torso. "You just need to focus on something. It'll help take your mind off it."

"Seriously?" the prospect of relief sent him clamoring. "Give me something to think about!"

"Well, I can think of one thing that'll get your attention-"

"-Let me have it!"

Soul chuckled at his own silliness, though quickly stopped when the back of his throat started to tickle. He covered his face with both hands and ran them towards his hair, trying to suppress the ever growing queasiness that built up inside him. Too preoccupied with the simple task of controlling his bodily functions, Soul had no idea that his once grounded partner was already positioning herself on top of him. So quietly and carefully had she done so that he couldn't feel her at all clamor right above him.

Until he felt her knee brush gently against his crotch. Soul's attention immediately perked, causing him to lift his head up and gaze at Maka's slightly amused face looking down on him. She straddled his leg nearest the edge, leaning over him slightly. The position wasn't too scandalous, but it was definitely enough to focus on.

She smiled sweetly at him. "Thinking about something yet?"

Soul gave a simple nod. In all honesty he wasn't thinking about anything, more like feeling things in the pit of his stomach. His giddiness had left him, leaving only a solid expression on his face that Maka noticed as serious. Soul knew deep down that his meister didn't mean anything by her actions, but beer had a tendency to blur one's perspective on things.

"You know," Maka said plainly as she leaned a little forward. "I'm only doing this for you, right?"

He knew. He just didn't care. Against his better judgement, Soul gave into that feeling the pit of his stomach that told him to go for it.

"Good, I like it that way." he replied plain faced, still gazing at her hunched over form.

Maka muffled a laugh, knowing immediately that Soul had meant it in a perverted way. To her, it was almost funny how quickly she had broken though the Deathscythe's cool exterior. His serious face and hazy, lustful eyes told her of his desperation for attention. Maka was all too happy to let him think he had some, but in the end she was in control. There would be only teasing on her part, and nothing more.

At least that's what she thought. Soul had other plans. The demon scythe grinned as he felt her jump at his touch, him having ran his hands along her exposed thighs when she wasn't paying attention. Maka's face immediately flushed a little, but she didn't get off him. Soul knew even in his tipsy state that it had meant his meister was too stubborn to back down. Now it was his turn for a little fun.

"I didn't know you wanted me this badly." he sneered, still snaking his way up toward her skirt.

Maka squirmed at his touch. "Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want you throwing up all over me."

"So let me get this straight," he said, trying to pick himself up. Maka soundly pushed him back down. "You jump on top of me so I won't _throw up_ on you?"

She smiled smugly. "I'm not on top of you. I'm on top of your leg."

He matched her grin with his own. "You're so full of shit!"

Again he tried to pick himself up, and again he was pushed back down by Maka. She simply looked down on him with that satisfied smile of her's, as if thinking she had won. Not to be outdone however, and with his playfulness quickly getting the better of him, Soul pushed himself up with all his force. Surprised, Maka was sent backwards as he moved her out of the way. In a flash their roles had reversed. Maka lay on her back as her partner took over on top, a toothy grin spread wide on his face.

Soul watched the girl below him as her eyes grew wide at the position she found herself in. Much more intimate than before, he put himself precariously between Maka's legs. Grin growing ever wider at the sight of the red in her cheeks, Soul Eater just couldn't help himself any longer. Drunk or not, it didn't matter. Without hesitation he dug his face into her neck and started kissing her lustfully.

"-Soul!" she yelped at the touch of his lips against her skin. "Get off me!"

"Not a chance, Maka." the weapon replied quietly, smiling at the shudder his breath caused her.

His meister put up a halfhearted struggle. It didn't last long. "This is wrong though, you're drunk for god's sake!"

Breaking away from her for a moment, Soul brought his forehead against hers as he lay flat on top of her. The same position they were in when they agreed to watch Kirin so many months ago, although last time he was next to her instead of on top. Maka took a deep breath, thankful that he'd broken off the embrace. Soul however remained silent, still perched right up against her. He merely looked into those deep emerald eyes of hers. Maka in turn looked back.

"That doesn't mean the booze is making me do this."

A curious look spread across Maka's face. "Then why are you doing this?"

Soul pressed his forehead a little harder against his meister's and watched for her reaction as he swayed gently back and forth on top of her. At first she tensed up, but after catching the suddenly softer eyes of her weapon, she reluctantly eased. Hot breath filtered through his lips and blew past her's, causing a tame grin to appear on his face at the way she breathed back on him.

Soul made sure to get as close as possible. "I don't know. But I really want to find out."

No response came from the blonde girl beneath him, and for a moment he wondered if he'd made a terrible mistake. All Maka did was stare back at him, like she was confused or something. Was she going to Maka Chop him? Was she going to throw him off of her, then toss him outside for the night? Or worse, kick him out for good...?

Thankfully, he got his answer. From underneath, Maka wriggled her arms loose and wrapped them around the back of his neck. Soul, relieved, brought his face down almost obediently. Together they lay there, lips so close to touching they could practically _taste _each other's breath, and bodies rubbing together ever so slightly in a jumble of arms and legs.

"You do?" Maka asked meekly, her face blushing wildly.

Soul sucked in air. "Don't you?"

"Well," she said hesitantly, running her fingers through the back of his hair. "I kind of-"

Cut off by the sound of something down the hallway, both Soul and Maka jumped at a sudden screech that filled the entire apartment. In their tangled embrace, the two partners looked at each other and knew immediately what it was. Kirin was fully awake, probably hungry. Somebody needed to feed her, which left them the only ones for the job.

In utter dismay, Soul looked to Maka for the rest of her sentence, but already she was smiling apologetically at him as she pushed herself up. Totally defeated, he let her break free without much effort, and watched bitterly as she made her way to the bedroom. The only thing he could do was slump back in the seat of his couch and beat himself up over just how _close _they had come.

His head started to swirl again as the beer caught back up with him, this time with a vengeance. In his self induced misery he found himself throwing a pillow over his head to keep out the lights and sounds around him and cursing all of it, but especially the whining baby he'd loved taking care of up until that point. Her slowly waning cries still dug into his head, being the thing he hated above all else.

Because with Kirin's cries went Maka, and with Maka went one hell of a night.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N.<strong>

Well, after 8 chapters I realized Soul and Maka hadn't done the one thing all stereotypical babysitters do. Have sex of course! Hence the heated, drunken action. Also it seemed right that considering Scarlet's last piece was subtle, this one should be the exact opposite, though she's probably far more qualified to write sexy stories than I am lol

Onward to pressing matters. Instead of an assignment like I always do, there's an actual question I'd like to ask this time. When Scarlet and I first started this, we originally settled to work on ten chapters, then decide whether we wanted to continue or not. Seeing as how that magical number is fast approaching, it seems only fair to ask the readers whether or not you want us to continue. Should we stop for the sake of the story? Or is Kirin too cute to pass up? Obviously the decision is ultimately ours to make, but it'd be nice to know how you all feel about it.


	9. Make for Good Excuses

A/N: Life has swamped me these past few days. I'm lucky I managed to finish this chapter before it completely drowned me D

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><p><strong>Babies Make For Good Excuses<br>by. **_Poisoned Scarlett_

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><p><em>Maka<em>

"_Ughhh! _What the heck are you doing, Maka? Seriously?" Liz begrudged, reaching over to smack Maka over the head. Kirin giggled as Maka shot her friend a glare, rubbing the spot she'd hit. "He's practically _throwing_ himself at you!"

"He is _not_ throwing himself at me!" Maka argued. "You're being ridiculous, Liz, he was _drunk _when it happened. Alcohol clouded his thoughts – I've lived with my papa long enough to know the types of things alcohol can make you do." Maka simply stated, grimacing at the most recent memory that involved her father, a makeshift cape , and his lady friends.

"But _you_ said that _he _said that _he knew what he was doing!_" Liz hissed in a hushed tone, after noticing she had garnered too much attention with her outburst. "He wasn't drunk enough to do _that_, that's for damn sure. He knew _exactly_ what he was doing and you're just in denial." Liz insisted, punctuating each word with a slam on the table.

"He was _drunk_!"

"Excuses!"

"He was _drunk_, Liz, there aren't two ways about it!" Maka stood up, Kirin beginning to fall asleep on her shoulder. "He had no idea what he was doing. It doesn't count. It was a _mistake_."

Liz took a deep breath, calming her growing rage. "Tell me, Maka…" Liz began, tapping her sharp nails upon the table dangerously. "If Soul was as _drunk _as you claim he was…how come he keeps trying to make moves on you? Hmm? If he was _that_ drunk, he wouldn't even remember what he did."

Maka felt instantly queasy. "He's not…making moves on me, Liz. He's just…um…"

"Just _what?"_ Liz smirked, knowing she'd cornered her. "Maka, you can't lie to me: I totally saw him trying to hold your hand when you came to meet me."

"He wasn't trying to hold my hand!" Maka protested, pink dusting her cheeks. "He – he was just making sure I didn't fall!"

Liz threw her head back in mocking laughter. "That's gotta' be the _lamest _excuse I've ever heard! He was totally trying to hold your hand, and who knows what else he's been trying to do since last Friday? All I know right now, _Maka_, is that if you keep rejecting him like this, he's gonna' give up." Liz stood up, sliding her phone open to check the time nonchalantly. "And I know _a lot _of girls who'd give an arm and a leg to have a piece of him." She snapped the phone shut. "So you're gonna' have to accept that he's got the hots for you and he wants some more of that action you gave 'em last time."

Maka groaned, holding Kirin closer to her in an effort to shield herself from Liz's leer. "You make everything sound so dirty, Liz!"

Liz laughed. "If you think that's dirty, you need to watch more TV, Maka."

Maka sighed, resignedly. "I'll take what you said into consideration. Thanks for meeting me here today on such short notice, Liz. I'm…going to have a lot to think about when I get home." Maka said, carefully.

Liz smiled. "No problem! But, seriously..." Liz patted her cheek as she walked past her, to the sleek Mercedes that came to a stop nearby. "You think too much. Try not thinking for once, you'll be surprised what it can get you." And with a wink and a wild grin, Liz strutted to the Mercedes and got in the back seat; waving a hand out of the tinted window before the car drove forward.

Maka waved slowly, once more swamped with that feeling of inadequacy. It was different when you were friends with a person: doing daring and risqué things like what she did last time were easier when you believed they meant nothing. But to try something like that again, knowing that her partner may harbor feelings for her…

"You have it so easy." Maka mumbled to Kirin, who slept peacefully on her shoulder. "All you do is eat and sleep." But she smiled warmly when Kirin shifted closer to her, suckling on her thumb and sleeping the day away.

* * *

><p>Everything had gone right when she arrived home. She'd set Kirin in the high chair Mrs. Knightly let her borrow for the day and fed her, laughing when the little girl somehow managed to get baby food on her forehead. Afterwards, she'd cleaned her up and brought her over to the couch, turning on the television for once and deciding watching a movie before Soul arrived would be a good way to unwind from the days stress.<p>

Twenty minutes into the movie, Soul walked in, effectively ruining whatever relaxation she'd hope she'd get.

And now they were _both _watching the movie, which Maka didn't even know was _about _because she couldn't focus on it, and Liz's bold grin flashed behind her eyelids with every blink. The silence between them was beyond awkward for her but she knew it was only her imagination: Soul looked just fine sitting there, slouched into the couch and watching the movie absently. There was two feet of space between her partner and herself and her secret weapon, Kirin, slept soundly on her shoulder.

Soul popped a gummy bear into his mouth casually, seeming not at all affected by the tension she felt settle on her shoulders like a thick blanket. She wished she could just brush things off like he did. It was a handy skill, she'd admit.

"Want one?"

Maka jumped. "Wh…what?"

He arched a brow. "Gummy bears, Maka. I said if you want one?"

"Oh." Maka looked at the bag filled with the candy and nodded, reaching over to take a few. Kirin whimpered on her shoulder when she leaned too far and Maka quickly stilled, hoping she'd go back to sleep and not cry. Thankfully, Kirin returned to her slumber.

"Here." Soul closed the space between them before she could say anything. "Geez, what's up with you? You've been all stiff and uptight since you came back from hanging out with Liz."

_He noticed_, Maka thought with a inward cringe. Perhaps she really _did_ wear her heart on her sleeve. "Nothing's up! I just have a lot on my mind." Maka dismissed, snatching the bag from him. She tossed a few gummy bears in her mouth, handing the bag back to Soul.

"Like?"

Maka stole a glance at him. He was gazing at the television screen in apparent disinterest but his silence was expectant. She dropped her eyes down to Kirin, knowing this could go one of two ways. Liz's words were loud in her head. "Just… I've been rethinking out partnership lately." Maka admitted, automatically regretting coming clean when Soul froze up. "It doesn't feel like a normal partnership anymore and I thought…"

"What do you mean by 'rethink'?" Soul asked, carefully. He finally turned to look at her; ignoring the television that buzzed in the background.

Her mouth opened but the words stayed stubbornly inside. She tried several times but the result was the same: the words refused to spill from her lips. Maka closed her mouth and looked down at Kirin thoughtfully. What if she hadn't woken up and cried? Would they have easily slipped into a newer, _deeper_, partnership than now? Would it have been less awkward, would that scary feeling of commitment have never been there in the first place…?

Liz had been right: Soul _had _been making moves on her and he _had _been dropping rather heavy hints recently. She'd purposely ignored them, chose to brush them off and swatted off his advances. As it was, she'd still been digesting the fact that he kissed her. And Liz was also right in the fact that she couldn't keep rejecting him so coldly: Soul was no Ox Ford. He would not keep coming back to her, fall on his knees for a date or admit his love for her on a megaphone.

He'd just _stop_.

And Maka feared that more than anything else.

"I just think we shouldn't…" Maka paused, collecting her thoughts. She took a deep breath. Here went nothing: "…I think we shouldn't be partners anymore!" That was a good start, she decided, overlooking the way her partners face paled several shades.

"Maka…are you breaking off our partnership?" Soul asked, rather hoarse.

"Yes!" Maka shouted, turning to look at him. At his shocked look, Maka's smile wiped off her face. Perhaps that hadn't been the best way to ask him out, now that she thought about it. "I mean, _no!_ Not like that! Wait a second, this came out wrong!" Maka quickly amended, holding out a hand as if that could control the damage she was inadvertently causing. Kirin groaned softly and shifted in her arms. "I didn't mean it like that, Soul, of course I don't want to break off our partnership. That's crazy!" Maka laughed, uneasily. "I just meant…" She pursed her lips and sank back in the couch. "That we…"

She couldn't say it without feeling extremely embarrassed, which was lunacy because she'd confessed far more embarrassing things to Soul. Like that one time she'd told him one of Blair's female friends tried to hit on her and actually managed to cope a feel… he'd laughed so hard right afterwards but he'd never let a word of it reach other ears. She trusted him unconditionally; there shouldn't be any reason, especially after what happened last Friday night, that she shouldn't be able to ask what needed to be asked.

"Maka, you're killin' me here." Soul groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. Her silence was beginning to be too hard to take. "What is it?"

Deciding she had nothing to lose but her dignity, which nearly made the dreadful words lock up in her throat again, Maka bravely said: "I think we should take our partnership to the next level!"

"…Maka, are you asking me out?"

She cringed, her face heating up.

"…Yeah."

Maka never knew silence could be crushing but in those delicate seconds, it felt like it.

Then she heard a snort; laughter, she saw with a plunging stomach. She turned to see his shoulders shaking as he stifled his laughter. His teeth bit into his fist at the irony of the situation. But it was the glowing look in his eye that told her he wasn't laughing _at _her. "I can't believe it. You beat me to it."

Maka's fury instantly disappeared, replaced with confusion. "Huh?"

"I thought I'd have to be the one to ask you out." Soul admitted, quite calm for someone who'd just been asked out by their best friend. His coolness knew no bounds, Maka thought warily. "I just didn't see you as the type to do the asking. Then again, you're the most hardheaded and stubborn girl I know…" He trailed off, thoughtfully.

"_Who's hardheaded?"_ She ground out, aggressively.

"And hot-tempered." He added, dryly. "But I don't mind that." He grinned when she huddled the baby closer to her. That little brat wasn't going to foil the atmosphere _this_ time. "That just means you're _intense_, and that's pretty cool."

Maka decided, therein, that everyone but her had a way of making the most innocent statement sound dirty. She also decided, realizing that the baby wouldn't work as an excuse to keep distance, that Soul thrived on making her feel terribly misplaced - especially when he leaned closer to her and completely ignored the infant that slept soundly on her shoulder.

"Soul, what are you doing? Y-you'll wake Kirin up!" Maka tried, but failed, to sound tough. She squeezed her eyes shut, lips quivering the slightest bit as he breathed on them. But after a few seconds of silence, her eyes slowly opened and dared to raise to meet her weapon's.

There was a faint smile on his lips, as he watched her regain her bearings. His forehead thumped with her own, his smile widening when she jumped but didn't move any further away.

"Hey, Maka…"

"What?" She mumbled, easing into the comfortable mood.

"You're pretty cute." And he laughed when she jumped away from him, her hot cheeks flaming up even more when she realized he had been teasing her again.

"That wasn't funny, Soul!" She raged, aiming a kick at his leg.

"Are you kidding me? You should've seen the look on your face! I've never seen your face get that red before!" Soul cackled, blocking another kick from his hot-tempered meister. His hand caught her ankle, pulling her so she slid down the couch onto her back. She hastily fixed her shirt when it rode too high on her. "Huh. Your ankles aren't fat, after all."

"Ugh! You're such a bastard, Soul!" Maka screeched, kicking her legs. But he merely grinned, grabbing her other foot with his hand.

"Relax, Maka, I was just playing." He forced her legs down on his lap, unfazed by his meister's dark look. "Do you have to react with violence whenever you're unsure?"

"Do you have to be such a bastard all the time?" She shot right back.

"All part of the job." He easily remarked. Maka pursed her lips but refrained from commenting, pushing herself up carefully. Kirin's eyes were half-lidded, the baby starting to doze off as all the excitement dwindled. This time the space between them was almost nonexistent: she felt every shift, every brush of his arm on hers, every steady breath he took.

"You know…" Maka began, sitting Kirin on her lap. She instinctively fell sidelong onto the crook of her elbow. "You never answered my question."

"You never asked a question," Soul said slyly. "You made a suggestion."

She grit her teeth, knowing he was being smart again. She eyed the book sitting innocently on the coffee table for a second before taking a breath. "Okay. You never answered to my _suggestion_."

"Yeah."

Maka blinked. "…Yeah?"

"Yeah, sure." Soul repeatedly simply.

"And that's… it?"

"Well, what else do you want me to say?" Soul rolled his eyes when she shrugged, awkwardly. "Did you want me to lean over and kiss you passionately?" His chest rumbled with chuckles when her cheeks darkened.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Maka scoffed, struggling to control her knotting stomach because that was probably _true_. "I just thought there'd be more to it, that's all."

"Like?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno' – you tell me."

"Well, I don't know either!" Maka frowned. "I've never asked anyone out before. I don't know how this works, exactly."

"Oh. I get it now." Soul nodded, understandingly. Maka furrowed her brows – what did he get that she was clearly not getting? "Our partnership isn't gonna' change much. We'll act basically the same, the only difference now is we get to be more _physical_." He smirked when she caught on, her eyes immediately dropping down in thought. "And I get to do _this_!"

She squeaked when he brought her into a tight hug, Kirin blissfully unaware of her caretakers mischief. His chest felt strong, body warmer than she'd thought it'd be. His arm around her shoulder felt nice, nice enough that she slumped against him comfortably. His fingers played with one of her pigtails idly and she sighed contently.

"Since when do you wear cologne?" Maka rose a brow, breathing in the thick smell of his cologne and leather. "I thought you hated it."

"I never said I hated it." Soul replied. "I just said I hated the one Kid wore to the dance. I couldn't get the taste outta' my mouth after he left." He wrinkled his nose at the memory. "Why, you don't like it or something?"

"No…" Maka murmured, taking another breath and smiling. "I do."

And Maka _still_ didn't know what the movie was about, more focused on Soul than the television that blared in the background.

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><p><strong>Lacrow's Note<strong>

I honestly love this chapter, it's the best one yet in my opinion!

That being said, Scarlet and I have decided on what we want to do. You all will get our answer the next time we update. Keep in mind that Chapter 10 will be special, regardless if we choose to continue or not. Keep your eyes peeled!


	10. Please

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Soul Eater.

_**Lacrow**_: Well, as I said in the last chapter, we've made our decision. This will be the final chapter of the Babies Collection.

It's been a lot of fun writing this story, but we both agreed that it had to end somewhere. In actuality we're just following through with our original time-line, but that's not to say it won't end with a bang. For your enjoyment and our entertainment, this chapter was written half and half by us. Figure out who wrote what if you can! I'll let Scarlet have the last word this time though, I never could keep my mouth shut!

_And a note from me, Scarlett, saying this collection has been a blast! Lacrow and I may partner up again to work on another story, too, hopefully! I hope you all enjoy reading the last installment of this collection! As he mentioned up above, this was written half and half by us. A fun way to spruce up this final chapter! So, take a guess to what part belongs to whom. I dare ya'! ;)_

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><p><strong>Please Take Care of Our Baby<strong>  
><strong>by. <strong>Poisoned Scarlet & Lacrow

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><p>Light bounced off the symmetrical walls of Shibusen, the sun's rays seeming to focus on a single boy as he made his way up sloping steps towards the academy. Like a spotlight, the laughing star in the sky seemed to hang over him as if he were the lead actor in a play. Others walked up and down around him, but in the end it was he who held fate's attention. At least in the boy's self-conscious mind, anyway.<p>

Shy, unsure, and timid, the fair haired child continued his trek with hunched over shoulders, hands in his pockets as the distance between him and the front door closed in. Warily, he thought of the parting words a certain someone had given him; their voice still crisp in his ears even above the background chatter of students as they passed him by. Her words brought comfort to him, somewhat. Mostly they just served as a tether that kept him from turning around and going back down where he had come from.

_We'll already be there by the time you make it up the stairs. One of us will be waiting for you at the front._

The boy sighed in relief when he realized she wasn't lying. After an arduous climb up hundreds of steps, the new student of Shibusen found himself looking at a man who looked just like him standing there by the door as he reached the plateau. Eerily their posture mimicked each other, except one was grinning and the other had his eyes cast down in embarrassment. Despite the boy's reserved nature however, he was genuinely happy at the other man's presence. Which was why he didn't even flinch when a hand reached out to him and ruffled up his hair.

"Look at you, a hot shot just like your old man." He sneered down at the boy, eyes soft with pride.

A halfhearted groan came from the new student's throat. "Dad, would you knock it off? There's people around, you know!"

On a whim, the man turned his head to find the gazes of others as they walked by the similar looking pair. They had become the center of attention with their short lived conversation, and already small chatter had begun to stir that involved them. The timid boy hoped that his father would give up at this realization and instead just show him to his first classes like he said he would. However, the only thing his dad did was give an amused snort as he bent his knees and brought their faces level with each other.

"And just what the hell are they gonna do?" He asked, barely letting up on his grin.

The freshman shook his head. "Probably give me a hard time about it? This _is_ my first day, after all."

"You just have to relax, Gil." The man replied casually, shrugging off that witty tone that he heard countless times before.

"But I can't!" Gil argued back, almost whiny in his tone. "This is where people learn to fight Kishins! To become walking, talking weapons!"

Gil's father merely shook his head, though still seemingly amused by his son's apprehensiveness. The boy immediately knew that his words weren't getting through to his father, which forced him to slouch forward yet again with his hands in his pockets. Both were silent as the man reached behind him and opened the door to Shibusen, allowing his son to go first as he held it open. One after the other they filed in, letting the door slam shut behind them as they made their way to homeroom.

The fair haired child allowed his dad to take the lead, staying close behind him as he threw glances left and right at the other students there. Most seemed oblivious to his presence, which came as a relief to him. The less attention he drew the better, and if everything went well later that day, he would simply become another face in the crowd. No one would expect anything from him, nor would anyone vie to be his partner. It was the perfect plan, though Gil didn't think his father would be as thrilled at the prospect as he was.

"You do realize that no one expects you to be a Deathscythe your first day, right?" Gil's dad chuckled without turning his back.

"Doesn't matter if it's a day or ten years. That's never going to happen." The boy replied bitterly, staring at the man's heels in front of him.

The sound of his father sudden sigh made Gil snap his head to attention. He was instantly greeted with a flat expression as the man in front of him turned around, his normally cool eyes looking the slightest bit annoyed. The young boy quickly found himself sinking under his gaze, as if feeling the weight mount on his shoulders at the unspoken words it was trying to convey.

His father's voice was gentle, but sharp. "Gil, you have to stop being so negative. This place is great."

"I know dad..." The son mumbled, eyes still hung low towards the floor. "...It's just, I'm not so _great _with other people."

"You think you're the only one, Gil?" The man smiled faintly at his boy's plight. "I was terrified of people when I was your age."

The new student immediately blinked, not knowing how to respond. "You were? But you're not afraid of anything!"

"Yeah, well, you have your mother to thank for that." His dad replied simply, shaking his head with a smile.

Gil's dull green eyes seemed to brighten at the prospect of his father being just like him. He loved him like no other and was proud to say he was his son, but many times he found himself questioning just how on earth they were related. They looked exactly the same, save for his eyes which he inherited from his mother, but other than that they were nothing alike. One was cool, calm, and strong. The other was shy, nervous, and usually too involved in study to fight. Gil was, of course, the _other._

But none of that seemed to matter now as his father grabbed hold of his shoulder and walked with him down the remainder of the hallway. The two soon arrived near the very end, a door that read '101' on the sign being the only thing that greeted them. Gil again became disheartened as the grip on his shoulder disappeared, but was reassured as his father again brought their faces level with each other.

"This room's for students only, so you're on your own from here." He explained coolly, noticing his son's grimace. "But before I go, let me tell you the same thing I told your mother on our first date."

Gil looked warily at his father. "And what would that be?"

"If anyone ever gives you a dirty look," the man smiled, remembering every word by heart. "I'll be the one to cut it off 'em."

Just like that, Gil's day took a turn for the better. Unable to hold back a smile, he watched as his father gave him a confirming nod and stood himself straight. Gil nodded back, letting his emerald eyes follow him as he started to make his way towards the other end of the school. Without turning back, his father waved him off in that cool way he was so good at doing, and soon disappeared beyond the sea of students as the bell rang for classes to begin.

Not wanting to disappoint him, Gil took his words to heart. He knew that his parents would be watching over him all day, so there was no need to worry, at least not today. So, mustering up all his courage and strength, he took hold of the handle and opened the door. There were students in the classroom, all stopping their apparent wandering to look at the newcomer. Gil however just faced their stares with an indifferent one of his own, one he had learned from his father after watching him for so many years.

He was a Deathscythe after all. If anyone knew how to be cool, it was him.

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><p>"Please, call me Maka. We're practically family!"<p>

Against the backdrop of cloudy blue skies and grave markers all around them, two women stood in the center of a room. The only thing besides them being a tall, slender mirror right next to them, the younger of the two couldn't help but feel slightly out of place. She knew exactly where she was, having been attending Shibusen for well over three years, but even then she had only been inside the Death Room a few times. That, combined with the fact that the woman whom she looked so much like was now having a meeting with her there, the young student didn't know quite how to respond.

"Sorry, Mrs. Evans!" The girl replied calmly, though inside her stomach was full of butterflies. "It's just, I haven't seen you in ages!"

Maka shook her head. "I know, it's been way too long. But when you have a child of your own, time certainly flies."

"How is he, by the way? Last I saw him he was still in middle school."

"Thankfully, more like me than his father."

A grin found its way on the younger girl's face, followed by Maka's own pleasant smile. They hadn't talked in well over two years and even now, they had no trouble picking up on light conversation. Long ago, she was given so much flack for acting like Mrs. Evans's then partner, Soul. Now with the passage of time, it turned out she had grown into quite the woman like Maka herself. Of course, deep down she still had the tendencies of the now famous Deathscythe, but with age came maturity and self-control. The two could be mistaken for sisters, the only difference of course being the younger one's deep, pink eyes.

_"You make that sound like it's a good thing, Maka."_

The pink eyed blonde suddenly threw her head around, catching the view of Lord Death's personal weapon as he entered the secluded room. In an instant and without a thought in her mind, she immediately ran towards him, throwing her arms around him as he tried to fight back total laughter. Maka remained where she stood, unable to hold back her giggles as the young girl buried her face in the man's chest.

"How you doing, kid?" He grinned down at her, ruffling up her long, blonde locks.

She shook her head at his touch and grinned back up at him. "Better, now that both of you are here! Why don't you ever bring your wife to school?"

"Because," the man replied with a sneer, looking to the woman in the center of the room as he did. "She's such a bookworm. I'd never be able to bring her back home!"

Years ago, his comment would have warranted a chop on the head. But now, after years of putting up with him and raising a child together, Maka simply let most of his comments slide. Instead, she simply smiled at her husband with narrowed eyes as if telling him he was going to get it later. The young girl's face still buried in his chest, he managed to sneak back a grin in acknowledgement.

"I missed you guys, so much." The pink eyed blonde muttered, bringing the Deathscythe's attention back to her. "Even you, and I see you every other day!"

The man pulled the girl's head up gently by her hair and smirked. "I know, Kirin. We're too busy for our own good."

"Damn right you are!" She replied with pursed lips, causing the man to laugh at her resemblance to his wife.

"You're looking more and more like Maka every day, kid." He sighed, glancing at the other woman.

Maka shook her head and smiled. "Too bad she acts more and more like you, Soul."

All three drew laughter at the small reunion taking place inside the Death Room, none of them wanting it to end any time soon. Kirin finally let loose her grip on Soul, allowing him to throw his shoulder around her and escort her towards Maka as she waited for them by Lord Death's mirror. The minute they arrived, Soul released his young friend and immediately threw his arms around his wife in a bear hug, causing her to shout out in disapproval. Kirin watched with an enormous grin as Maka forced his release with a now rarely used Maka-Chop, making sure to rub the bump on his head afterwards soothingly.

"_This_ is how you keep them in line, Kirin." Maka said matter-of-factly, still giving her husband a small amount of comfort.

The pink eyed blonde couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her friend and mentor still crouched on the ground. "And who is _them_, Mrs. Evans?"

"I think she means Evans men." Soul hissed bitterly as he looked up at his wife. "She used to do this to Gil when he acted up."

"Actually, I mean men in general." Maka replied sweetly, smiling back at Kirin as Soul picked himself back up.

Their pleasantries out of the way, the threesome wasted no time in picking up with their conversation. Soul and Maka listened intently as Kirin told them all about her life as a meister at Shibusen. The various missions she'd done, the friends she had met during her time there. Offhandedly she mentioned the falling out she'd had with her previous partner, but very quickly she changed the subject to something more lighthearted. Soul, being Lord Death's personal weapon, filled both women in on the latest update with her grades. Straight A's. Maka, of course, was thrilled.

Then it was the couple's turn. Soul described their new home together, which was amply sized to accommodate for an angst filled teenager. Maka went into detail about their son, Gil, and life as three-star mesiter when she wasn't busy at the house cleaning up after her lazy husband. Kirin's eyes lit up when they both told her that they were expecting yet another addition to their family. Six months from then, a baby girl already named Ella was to be born. Maka knew she didn't need to ask, but did anyway out of politeness. Kirin agreed immediately; she would babysit for them whenever they needed her to.

"You know I'll take care of her!" Kirin grinned from ear to ear, delighted at the prospect of taking care of her _babysitter's _baby.

Maka smiled warmly as her husband's arm wrapped itself around her. "We know you will. Thank you so much, Kirin-"

"-But," Soul interjected, causing the pink eyed blonde's joy to wane faintly. "That's not why we asked you here."

Kirin tilted her head in a way reminiscent of the Deathscythe. "Then, what _did_ you call me for?"

Without warning, the sounds of kids talking and laughing flooded the young meister's ears. She immediately turned around, expecting a large crowd behind her. Instead, the only thing that greeted her was Lord Death's mirror, the image of one of the home rooms showing like a TV screen on the thin sheet of glass. At first she became confused and looked to the couple behind her for an explanation. They simply motioned for her to look through the mirror, which she apprehensively and obediently did.

A white headed boy caught her immediate attention, causing Kirin to smile as she knew exactly who it was. Being years since she'd last saw him, it was a wonder how much Gil looked like his father. His pleasant features and sharp teeth were balanced with Maka's emerald green eyes. His coat looked like it was made from an old Spartoi uniform that Shibusen used to make before they disbanded it, with the patch still on it and everything. The young woman couldn't help but to stare. He certainly wasn't like any of the other freshman.

"It's Gil's first day." Maka finally said aloud, breaking the silence. "And he's not into trusting people."

Soul grabbed the back of his neck. "And since you're in need of a partner, not to mention the fact you're his complete opposite..."

Kirin reeled before they even finished their sentence. She knew exactly what they were going to ask. Instead of waiting for them to though, the pink eyed meister simply continued to stare at the white haired wonder before her. He was so much like his mother, yet looked so much like his father. She, on the other hand, acted like Soul and looked like Maka. Although she was a straight A student, Kirin didn't need brains to tell her what that meant. They were eerily similar to the most powerful partners Shibusen had ever produced. And here she was, being offered to repeat history...

"...will you please," Maka pleaded, smiling woefully at her young friend. "...take care of our _other _baby?"

* * *

><p>This was most certainly <em>not <em>what he expected when he walked in through those doors. Gil shrunk under the sadistic, analytic, gaze of Professor Stein, who hummed thoughtfully under his breath as he sized him up. The sutures that criss-crossed on his face, almost as if someone had ripped his skin off and sewed it back into place, frightened the young boy more than he'd like to admit. His lab coat was a blinding white, stitched up as well, but what caught his attention the most was the enormous screw lodged in his head. Gil wildly wondered just how someone could even _survive _with something so massive impaling their skull…

He knew Shibusen was filled with the strange and the odd, perhaps even the abnormal, but being held under the professors gaze like a sample under a microscope was pushing it a little, in his opinion.

"You resemble your father." Stein cranked the screw in his head a few times. A sly smile crept to his lips. "Yet you act like your mother. How interesting." And just like that, he moved onto the next student in the third row, also sizing him up and scaring the living daylights out of him.

Gil was just glad he wasn't being paid attention to anymore.

"Hey…psst!"

Gil stiffened up. Being the most strange-looking out of everyone had a downside, Gil winced. For once, he wished he hadn't been born with a head of white hair and piercing emerald eyes. His mother often coddled him because of it, and his father insisted it was 'cool'. But Gil would much rather be able to blend in with the rest than stand out, much as he was doing now, to his dismay.

"You! With the white hair! Hey!"

He slowly turned, letting his eyes fall on the pretty girl with curling pink hair. She wore thick, horn-rimmed, glasses that hid her aqua-green eyes; donning DWMA's current uniform , which showed off her nice figure. She had certainly gone through puberty faster than most, Gil thought wearily, as the girl scooted closer to him and smiled sweetly.

"Hi! You're a weapon, right?"

"Uh…Yes. I am." He cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the proximity. He found himself inching away from her, looking for any way to escape this girls suggestive tone.

"My name's Katherine Ford! But you can call me Kathy, if you want!" She introduced herself boldly. She scowled when Gil smiled back and introduced himself stiffly. Her hand gripped his shoulder, nails digging into his skin. "What're you doing all the way over there? Come _closer_—!"

"AH! NO!" Gil screamed, completely falling out of his seat in his wild scramble for distance. His face flushed when the class burst out in laughter. His sharp teeth ground into one another and he hid behind his thick strands of white hair as he picked himself up and sat back down in his chair. He made sure to screech the chair as far away from Kathy Ford as possible; staring at his desk and willing the harsh pounding of his heart to settle along with the classes' laughter.

"Hey….are you okay?" Kathy asked, awkwardly. "_Hellooo?_"

"I'm fine." Gil replied, quietly. "You startled me, that's all."

"Oh." Kathy pursed her lips. She leaned closer to him again, resting her chin on her palm. "So, yeah, as I was saying… you're a weapon, right? What type?"

"…Blade type." He said, slowly. There was something about having a scythe gene in both his parents that simply intertwined strangely. He wasn't necessarily a single-sickle scythe, like his father or his grandfather, but more like a double-edged one. Gil miserably thought it would be terribly _hard _to learn how to master such a fickle weapon, as learning how to use a traditional scythe was a challenge enough.

"Oh, that's so awesome!" Kathy giggled. His cheeks dusted pink. She scooted closer again, to his rising panic. How did his dad handle these sorts of women? Gil thought, panicked. Oh, yes, he would always smile back and politely slide his way out of their range; sometimes even scratch his cheek to show off his wedding band. But Gil certainly couldn't do that here: there was nowhere to run, Stein was still evaluating his students, and he was _not _married! "I'm a Meister! And we're gonna' have to pair up pretty soon…. So, you wanna' give it a shot?" She smiled, flirtatiously.

Before Gil could even open his mouth, shocked he'd been asked for a partnership so soon, Stein's drawling voice cut through the classes dim chatter.

"Not likely, Miss Ford. You're far too conceited and outgoing for someone as studious and…_quiet_ as Gillard Evans. Your partnership would crumble before it even began." Stein deduced, his footfalls echoing throughout the lecture room. "Now that I have all of your attention… we may continue with sorting you into the EAT or NOT programs. As you all know, first years may take a mixture of both for the first semester in order to ensure what they have chosen is what they want. After all, once you are registered into a program, there is _no _getting out." Stein eyes sharpened, causing the Freshman to gulp. "Am I making myself clear?"

A collective "yes" was heard.

"However, if you are sure about what program you wish to enroll yourselves in… speak now or forever hold your peace." Stein grinned, darkly. "Those who wish to participate in the EAT program, raise your hand."

A few hands rose but Gil's stayed stubbornly down. His eyes darted to Kathy, who yawned as she rose her hand; picking at the chipped blue nail polish of her other hand absently. White Star, his best friend, was in the EAT program. There was no way he was backing out when his best friend was waiting on him! Before he could talk himself out of it, Gil rose his hand as well. He looked up to find Stein mentally tallying them up; no doubt setting them up for something else.

"Good. Now I'll ask you a series of questions for my own entertainment!" Stein cheerfully stated, to the horror of his students. His eyes zeroed in on Gil, to his utter dismay. "Gil. You'll go first. What, in your opinion, is a _soul_?"

"A human soul is the incorporeal essence of a person. It's the driving force behind a humans every thought, action and desire, although, at times, the human may become corrupted by the their own desires and can, in turn, convert into a Kishin Egg should the human start to consume uncorrupted human souls in an effort to sate its obsession."

"And how does DWMA take care of these 'corrupted human souls' you speak of?"

"Lord Death's Weapon and Meister Academy works to eliminate the Kishin Eggs by training Meister's and Weapons to function as one, single, entity so that another travesty like the Kishin Asura may not repeat itself." Gil answered, fluidly. The class remained stunned silent, staring wide-eyed at the strange looking boy with the silver hair and green eyes that was obviously smarter than his age called for.

Stein smiled, pleased. "Very good, Gil. You are certainly your mother's son. Come and stand beside me." Stein then picked on another unsuspecting student who wished to enter the EAT program while Gil silently made his way down to Stein's side. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, inwardly groaning when Kathy kept smiling and looking at him. And when she came to stand beside him, after answering both of Stein's questions mediocrely, she stood so close he felt her shoulder brush with every impatient switch of her foot.

His father would give him hell about this if he ever found out, Gil thought with a sigh. He took much pride in him even though Gil was merely a shadow of what his father truly was. Confident, strong, brave – how could he ever think _he _could match up to that? Gil thought, gloomily. All _he_ was ever good for was annoying people with his knowledge. He spent most of his time indoors reading, discussing topics with his mother, or being forced out to play basketball with Black Star's son White Star, his probable only friend and who had been enrolled in DWMA for the past year.

"Those of you who wish to take a mixture of classes be sure to inform Marie when she comes in." Stein told the remaining students. "Those who wish to stay in the NOT program, simply stay where you are and don't touch anything. Marie will separate you into Meister and Weapons when she arrives. Those of you, Meister and Weapon alike, in the EAT program…follow me." Stein walked out of the classroom, a file of students following in his wake. "Now, I will be dropping you off with Coach Nygus so that she may show you all a demonstration of what it takes to be in the EAT program. This is your final chance to back out if it's not to your expectations." He threw open the gymnasium doors and Gil immediately stared at the woman enveloped totally in white bandages, wearing dark khakis.

"Hey, Stein! You're early. This the new batch of students?" Nygus smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners to show this.

"Yes, and I think you'll be pleased to know a few have a lot of potential." Stein looked at Gil and another three students in particular. "Who is presenting, if I may ask?"

Nygus looked uneasy for a moment. "Our best – but we're not sure if it's even gonna' work." She lowered her voice. "Got another fall-out. Honestly, this has been happening way too often. These kids don't know what they want anymore!"

"Should I call for a replacement?" Stein offered.

"Nah, they said they got it." Nygus dismissed. Gil leaned in to listen. "They're able to resonate to an extent but it's _very_ weak. Below the twenty percent requirement. But they told me they'll be able to do a demo, however it'll be their last match together."

"Pity." Stein said, without much sympathy. "I wish to see how this turns out, if you don't mind."

"'Course not!" Nygus laughed, as she rounded up her new group of students. "Alright, listen up you guys! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Mira Nygus – school nurse and part-time coach! You can call me Nygus." She set her hands on her hips. "Any questions before we begin?"

"Yeah, how come you're covered in bandages?" Kath asked, with a hint of distaste.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." Nygus answered, flatly. Kathy scowled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Any more questions? No? Then lets get this game started!"

"Can you believe her? Those bandages make her look _fat_, anyway!" Kath hissed into Gil's ear, causing the boy to stiffen up again. But this time he didn't pull away: it was obvious Kathy was not going to give up so soon and if his mother had taught him anything (which she had; _a lot_ of things) it was to respect a girl no matter what.

"It's not the shape of the body that matters…" Gil quietly told her. "It's the shape of the soul."

Kathy eyed him weirdly but four students entered through the gym doors before she could even ask what he meant by that. Gil felt his breath catch in his throat when his eyes landed on the only girl, with her blue pleated skirt short on her thighs and her loose uniform shirt with Lord Death's emblem sewed proudly on her right breast. Her hair was loose, a shade of honey blonde, and the boy next to her dressed alike in the sense that his black pants were ironed and straight and his oxford shirt was primp and clean. His muddy brown eyes gazed sneeringly at them all, giving off the air of superiority while his partner gave off an air of apathy.

The other two were smiling and excited, dressed similarly although their ethnicities were starkly different: one being a darker tan with a head of shaggy brown hair and the other light-skinned and Asian. They were no doubt eager to show off their skills to a bunch of underclassman.

"Class, I'd like to introduce you to two of DWMA's brightest and strongest pairs… Kirin Knightly and Gale Hawthorn and Adam Reyes and Jacob Cho." Nygus introduced, a few claps and giggles sounding. "However, one of these two won't be a pair for long, am I right?" She added, looking at Kirin and Gale. "Here's your first lesson of the day, guys: a Fall Out. That means when a partnership is beyond repair, it has to _fall out_. Each must look for a new partner and begin their training over again no matter how far behind – or even ahead – their new partner is. Who knows, maybe one of you will be lucky enough to partner off with one of these two!"

"Tch." Gale scoffed, obviously thinking otherwise.

"Stop it." Kirin glared, the weapon shooting her a nasty look.

"Guys! Not now!" Adam whispered, concerned.

"Okay, are we ready to begin the demonstration? We don't have much time!" Nygus clasped her hands together in front of her, regaining the Meister's attention.

"Let's get this over with." Gale spoke with a tone of boredom. "I have class to get to."

"We _all _have class to get to, Gale." Kirin muttered.

"Hey, don't start!" Adam snapped, looking at his partner. He automatically transformed into a Dao sword, the curved blade which shone dangerously to a filed tip at the other pair. It appeared heavy yet Adam caught it with ease. "We're here to set an example. Don't forget that." He stated, looking at Gale primarily.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be on our best behavior. Right?" Kirin said, sending Gale a sharp look. He nodded with a scowl and refrained from commenting. "Any day now would be nice." He automatically shifted into a long Naginata blade, the bade catching the light and the wood a polished auburn. However, unlike Adam, Kirin caught him with a grimace; the weapon obviously weighing her down.

"Ready?" Nygus boomed, taking out her timer. "You got five minutes! GO!" She started the timer, moving out of the way. Adam struck first, delivering a fatal-looking blow to Kirin, who blocked instantly. Gil felt his heart lurch when her arm trembled, looking overwhelmed by the steadily increasing weight of her weapon and the force behind Adam's strike.

The fight was clearly uneven. Adam's strikes and form was almost flawless, faltering only when Kirin lashed out using her fists and feet. She wasn't using her weapon, Gil noticed with rising dread, which was not right as the weapon was supposed to be used at _all_ times. It wouldn't benefit the meister at all if the weapon was only dragging them behind.

"Ah—damn—!" Kirin gasped, barely blocking a blow by the sword. She stumbled over her feet, Adam delivering the final hit that sent her rolling across the gymnasium floor. There was something that snapped in Gil at that moment, seeing Kirin roll across the floor like a rag doll. Perhaps it was her eerie resemblance to his mother, or something else totally, but it made fear choke up in his throat when she came to a still halt by the padded gym wall.

"KIRIN!" Gil shouted, darting after her.

"No, wait, Gil! Don't! Ugh!" Kath growled, going after him as well.

"What're you doing? You're supposed to be behind the mat, Gil!" Kirin grunted, allowing her weapon to roll away from her with a disgusted sneer. "It's dangerous! The match hasn't ended yet!"

"It might as well be. You lost – that blow was supposed to finish you off!" Gil shouted. "The match has been concluded. He won."

"He's kinda' right, y'know." Adam piped up, resting his sword on his shoulder. "You're dead. Why are you still talking?" He joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere made heavy by the fire that burned within Kirin's eyes.

"Nothing has been concluded! We're still in – c'mon, Gale!" Kirin insisted, trying to grab her weapon. But the weapon wouldn't even budge: it felt as if it weighed a ton. She gave it a frustrated kick, earning herself an outraged shout from her partner. "Get lighter! This isn't over! GALE!"

"What? If you can't pick me up, it's not my problem!" Gale snarled from within his weapon form. "It's over, Kirin. We lost."

Kirin set her jaw, looking back at the group of whispering students and one curious-looking Mira Nygus.

"Let Gil partner with Kirin and Kathy with Gale." Stein suddenly spoke up. He once more made his presence known, sending chills down the freshmen's spines.

"No way – that's too dangerous!" Adam instantly shot down. "They have absolutely no training! Maybe the kid can do it but the girl can't – she's not allowed to wield a weapon until second semester, anyway!"

"Very well." Stein shrugged, unconcerned. "Then let Gil and Kirin partner up. Only one pair is needed in the match, anyway." Stein looked sternly at Gil. "You _can _successfully transform into your weapon form, can you, Gil?"

"Well…" Gil hesitated, losing his confidence under the professors critical gaze. His father had taught him how to since he discovered he was a weapon-type but the only one who'd ever tried using him had been his mother. "Yeah, but…"

"Then let's do it!" Kirin stated, determined. "Gil, transform." She held out her hand, her pink eyes glowing under the light of the gym. Gil let his eyes drop to her hand nervously. It was a gesture his mother always made to his dad, be it to ask him to transform into a scythe or otherwise, but coming from her, Gil suddenly realized just how much trust she was placing in him.

He was a weapon, born to protect his meister. It would now be his duty – for however long she had him in her grasp – to protect her from harms way. Gil glanced at Adam and remembered the way he delivered his attacks: swift, clean, and beautiful. Gil had enough knowledge, from reading up numerous textbooks before his first day of school, to know that the meister and weapon must function as one in order to successfully fight. Gil must bend to Kirin's wishes, just as Kirin must bend to his.

"Gil?" Kirin softly called, a crease in her brow showing him her concern. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I would be nice if you did, though." She said, with a weak smile.

"Gil, c'mon." Kathy whispered from behind him. "Let's go back! It's too dangerous!"

"No. It's fine. I'll do it." His eyes hardened and he took Kirin's hand. There was a moment when he felt her wavelength reaching out to him. Was this what his mother spoke of? He couldn't ponder on it because he transformed, Kirin gasping as she held onto a double-edged scythe. It's sickles curving inward dangerously, made for the beheading of witches, both blades shone dangerously under the light. The staff was a deep black, solid and firm in her hand. There was a weight to him, as expected as Gil had never partnered up with someone before, but he was much lighter than Gale had been.

"Double Scythe. How very, _very_ interesting…" Stein muttered, with a creepy grin. A student sitting close to him scooted away in fear.

Kirin tightened her grip on Gil comfortingly when she felt his recoil from the professor. She tried him out a few times, twirling him as she would if she had her ex-weapon, but found this would be a lot more trickier than she thought.

"Gil. I need you to focus – stop looking at the crowd. Focus on the fight." Kirin instructed coolly, nodding at Adam. He leaped back, returning into a defensive position. "You have to focus, Gil!"

"I _am_!" Gil snapped, annoyed. "If you would be quiet for a moment, you'd know!"

Kirin shot him a look of warning but allowed him to continue. Once she felt his soul settle, and he gave her a thumbs up from one of the sickle blades, did Kirin finally move. She was aware that Soul and Maka were probably watching them from Lord Death's Mirror. She supposed they got their wish in the end: if this worked out, she'd ask Gil if he wanted to continue being her partner. If he accepted, and if this even _worked_ out between them, then she would be able to watch over him as his parents had asked.

"Let's do this." Kirin drawled with a smirk, falling into form. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…" Gil mumbled. Kirin's smirk widened.

"And… GO!" Nygus began her timer.

Adam attacked first, Kirin blocking it swiftly. She instantly felt Gil's anxiety through their temporary link.

"Calm down – nothing can hurt you in weapon form!" Kirin grunted, sliding to a stop. She swung, one of the blades nearly catching Adam in the arm. But he was quick on his feet, backpedaling and grinning as he felt the match begin to rise to his expectations.

Kirin found a double-edged scythe was good for blocking and could be very good for attacking as the second blade would catch up to the first instantly. She fixed her hands toward the edges when she saw having them too towards the middle threw her off balance. She also learned, with Gil and her bickering when it happened, that swinging hard could get one of his sickles stuck in random things – like the _floor_, for instance.

"Spin – GIL!" Kirin shouted, sighing in relief when Gil focused and spun in the hands of his meister. "Now you're getting it!" She rushed forward, Adam's sword clanging back with every thrust of her arms. His sneakers screeched on the wood floor, Kirin's smirk growing with every hit, but at the last moment, Adam's luck returned and he flipped out of the way – raising his weapon and swinging it down as if to part Kirin's skull in half.

Kirin was too slow, Gil knew this before she could even move. Just by gauging the trajectory and speed of Adam's weapon, she would not be able to move out of the way in time. She had lowered him in that critical moment and she will be too slow to raise him back up. So Gil did what he knew he had to do since he agreed to enroll in DWMA.

He suddenly transformed and shoved her back so she would be unharmed, Gil teetering on his heels and staring wide-eyed at the tip of a blade. His eyes darted up to Adam, who grinned at him, before he removed the blade from his head and his partner transformed back to flesh and bone.

"Nice move, kid." Adam laughed. "Although it coulda' killed you!"

"What the—?" Kirin began, blinking.

"You _idiot_!" Gil snapped, sending her a fierce glare. "Why did you lower your guard? You're supposed to _always_ fall back into defense position – aren't you a third year or something? They teach you this in the first year!" He slightly sneered.

Kirin flushed. "It was a mistake, alright? I won't do it again."

"It may cost you your life next time! So, yeah, don't do it again!"

"Like you should be talking – you transformed! Why did you do that, genius?" Kirin snapped right back, losing her cool. "You're vulnerable in your human form!"

"Because it's my duty to protect my meister!" Gil shouted, silencing her. "I knew, instantly, that you would not be able to move in any way to protect yourself." Gil stated, logically. "You were, essentially, cornered. If I hadn't transformed, should this have been a real match, you would have been split in two."

Kirin swallowed at the thought but hardened her eyes. "But this is only a demonstration."

"It's a simulation of a vey real situation." Gil replied, looking back at Stein. "Right?"

"Precisely." Stein drawled. "And I must say, Kirin, you did a good job wielding a double-scythe weapon for your first time. Your form, however, is _terrible_. You'll need much training if you wish to use him to his full potential. And Gil seems to be well-read in the mechanics of Meister-Weapon duties and expectations as well, to be expected. But, once again, Adam won the match. Gil would have died a horrible and painful death and you, the meister, would have needed to retreat immediately." Stein cheerfully told them, to the unease of the students watching. "Should this have been a real battle, of course."

"_Oh, my God!"_ Kathy screeched as she sprinted toward Gil, bringing Gil into her chest with a crushing embrace. His eyes widened and he felt blood rush down his nose at the feel of her soft breasts on his face. "Gil! Are you okay? I was _so_ worried!"

"Ugh, you pervert!" Kirin glared at Gil, who tried to push off Kathy with one hand under his nose to keep in his massive nosebleed. "KIRIN CHOP!"

"Not you too—!" Gil barely had time to scream before he was chopped into the ground, groaning while Kathy watched with both her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Gil! Oh, my God! You're bleeding!" Kathy kneeled, bringing him back to her chest. Gil groaned as more blood began to leak from his nose. This girl and her dumb breasts and Kirin and her stupid, stupid _chops on the head–! _

"Lemme' go!" Gil gasped, rolling off of her to lay on the floor; hand covering his bloody nose. "Ow…"

Kirin scowled heavily, arms crossed over her chest tightly.

"Well…" Stein airily said in the background, ignoring Kirin and Gil's exchange of barbs at what Gil called an undeserved chop on the head. "Things will certainly look up in the next few years." He glanced at the mirror that was hooked on the corner of the gymnasium; where he knew Maka and Soul were no doubt watching the scene unfold. "Remind you of anyone?" He drawled at the mirror, slipping his hands into his lab coats pockets and walking out of the gym like a phantom.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Death Room, Soul grimaced as he watched the professor leave.<p>

"It creeps me out how he knows we're watching."

"Stein was informed of this, Soul. The only reason we're able to overlook Gil's progress is because you're Lord Death's current weapon and you're supposed to be here, anyway." Maka answered, kneeling on the floor before the small tea table. "Lord Death doesn't mind company, either. Right, _Lord_ _Death_?" She added cheerfully to the Death God, who stood by Soul with his hands crossed behind him.

"Of course not, Maka." Lord Death replied, his golden eyes amused. "It's quite interesting to watch your son and that girl go at it. Reminds me of the time when you two were his age…"

"Pipe down, Kid, we weren't _that_ loud." Soul said, annoyed. He smiled, however, when Gil picked himself off the floor and furiously rubbed away his nosebleed. "Never thought he'd get one of those, though…"

"It's an Evans thing, I know that now." Maka deadpanned. "I think he deserved it." She sipped her tea with a sniff.

"What? Did you _see_ that girl – she totally threw herself at him! What's a guy to do?" Soul countered. "She reminds me of Blair. Stupid cat." Soul added, bitterly.

"Regardless of whose fault it was, it is clear that Kirin and Gil have much potential to become successful partners." Kid stated over their bickering, staring at the children through the mirror. Nygus was now shooing away the four upperclassmen to continue a short lesson with her students before sending them off to lunch. "I shall be keeping a close eye on their progress, should they decide to partner up."

"I hope so." Maka murmured, concernedly.

"They will." Soul stated, firmly. "If Gil's anything like you, then he'll definitely be looking out for Kirin now. Mainly because of that fatal mistake – Gil overreacts just like you do."

"What's _that _supposed to mean, Soul?" Maka snapped, slamming her tea cup on the table.

"It means what it means. Don't get offended." Soul replied gently, crossing his arms over his chest. "You just blow things out of proportion, Maka, admit it. You did it when we fought the Kishin, when you went into labor, and you're doing it _right now_—"

"MAKA CHOP!"

Kid sighed as Soul groaned, holding his aching head. Maka glared as she watched him pick himself up, growling something that Kid didn't bother listening too; far too accustomed to their bickering from the times they'd gone out to dinner to reunite with their old friends. His eyes kept straying back to the mirror, the white haired boy that intently listened to what Nygus had to say. If he had a notepad, Kid mused, he would most definitely be using it at the moment.

"C'mon, Maka, don't be like this." Soul begged, hugging her from behind. "I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry!"

"Then think about what you say next time, you jerk!" Maka snapped, her tone less harsh than before. She sunk into his embrace when he whispered something into her ear; whatever it was obviously working because she didn't look on the verge of hurting him again.

"If all you're going to do is bicker, out with you both." Kid scowled. "You're ruining the peaceful balance of the Death Room with your shouts!"

"My shift isn't over until five, Kid." Soul deadpanned, still coddling his annoyed wife. "It's barely gonna' be lunch."

"Lunch break!" Kid suddenly announced, walking toward the door. "I have a meeting with Patty, anyway. She wishes me to approve of some boy." His scowl became dark. "Let's see how _this _one turns out!"

"He has no idea she's after him, huh? Kinda' sad." Soul whispered into Maka's ear, as Kid stormed out of the Death Room. "Makes me wanna' tell him she's playing him for a fool by doing this."

"Don't." Maka murmured. "Patty knows what she's doing… I hope."

Soul snorted. "She's a cruel woman. Knew she was kinda' on the crazy side since I first saw her." He kissed her neck when he caught her sigh of annoyance, grinning when she squeaked and pinked. "Still not used to it after all these years? That's adorable, Maka."

"Quit it!" Maka elbowed him, sauntering toward the door. "Come on, Soul, we're going out to eat." She held her hand out again, her weapon taking it instantly. "I don't think Gil would like it very much if his parents kept him company for lunch. White Star will probably end up finding him, anyway."

"He'll be fine." Soul drawled, taking one last look at the mirror. Nygus was beginning to dismiss her class. Gil stood up, that Kathy girl stealing looks at him as she followed in suit. But Gil looked more ready to find Kirin than heed Ox and Kim Ford's daughter. "He knows how to keep it cool – just like his dad." He smirked.

Maka rolled her eyes with a knowing smile.

She knew both Kirin and Gil would be just fine, too, as she led her husband down the waxed hall and out of the academy.


	11. Gil's Mom

**Disclaimer: **Surprise! Happy Valentines Day to all my readers, and on this most commercial of holidays, I decided to give everyone a little bonus chapter of one of my favorite stories. Really, this was something I toyed around with for a while and didn't really have a plan for. But the minute I showed Scarlet, she practically begged me to finish it, and I honestly couldn't say no. It's a rather long chapter, but not really developed enough to be a story on its own. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, because this is by far the most ridiculous chapter I've ever written. Ever.

Quick note; Black Star has taken Tsubaki's last name, only because I think Tsubaki Star sounds hilarious. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>Gil's Mom<strong>

_by. Lacrow_

* * *

><p><em>"...Gil, we're gonna be best friends no matter what, right?..."<em>

No. No, no no, no. What was he thinking? There was no way he could do something like this! How did White Star even convince him to do such a thing in the first place? It's not like he had a track record of coddling the wanna-be assassin, let alone going with him on his stupid plans. So why then did he find himself standing in the middle of his own living room, holding onto that one little piece of paper that should have been thrown away as soon as he got home? Just the thought of what was tucked away inside that envelope sent a disgusting shiver down his spine. Why White Star, why?

_"...Remember that girl I told you about the other day?_..."

There was something very wrong with that boy. He'd known it since the day they'd first met, though it was only until attending Shibusen that he realized exactly _what_; White Star was a total horndog. From the moment he hit puberty up until now as he somehow convinced him to go through with his stupid plan, the black haired, green eyed buddy of his was constantly at the heels of whatever hot girl came his way. Gil glowered at the thought of when he'd first introduced his meister to him two years ago, the nerve of that guy, trying to work his moves on Kirin of all people!

_"...Well, I wasn't lying when I said she went to this school..."_

Although, now he had much bigger problems to worry about than protecting his pink eyed mesiter. It confounded Gil just how on earth to go about this, considering he hadn't had much time to think about it anyway. And much to his dismay, the young boy found that time was quickly running out. As if fate was slapping him across both cheeks, he heard a clicking sound to his right. Immediately he turned and watched with wide eyes as the front door opened slowly to a very tired looking man, his jacket slung across his shoulder as he shuffled in to escape the heat outside. His doppleganger. His _dad._

"..._Promise you won't get mad when I say this?..."_

Father and son looked at each other for a moment, the latter giving a meek wave of hello as the former nodded in acknowledgement. Gil watched as Lord Death's personal weapon found enough strength to sigh and toss his coat on the rack, his feet taking him immediately towards the kitchen right after. Refrigerator wide open a second later, the man found his fix; a can of soda, _caffeine._ The sound of a hiss and crack of aluminum being opened rang out through the home, though Gil focused on none of it. He just stood there, staring off into space, as that last bit White Star told him reared it's ugly head again;

_"Gil, your mom's hot."_

Oh the horror. Dammit, how low could he get! And he just _had _to write a note about it! And he just _had _to make _him _be the one to deliver it to her! It's not like he was actually going to, because how screwed up would that be? This was his _mother_, not some flavor of the week! But even so, just holding that damned piece of paper felt dirty to him; the only reason he brought it was as a last resort for intervention.

"So how goes it?" his father finally hummed after sitting in his chair, kicking back with a down of his drink.

Half occupied with his own thoughts, Gil finally looked up at him and shrugged. "Um, same. Professor Stein and stuff."

"And stuff? That's real specific." the man mused, letting his head rest against the chair. "Got into a lot of trouble doing _stuff _when I was your age."

Gil smiled meekly and nodded, his emerald eyes cast down to the floor in fear of his did seeing the awkward glean they had to them at the moment. Soul Evans might have been one of the coolest, calmest faculty members at Shibusen, but even Gil knew the man had his limits. He'd only seen his dad get really pissed off once, maybe even twice in his life, though that was enough for him to be weary of ever making him upset again. And the _last thing _he needed was for his dad to go on a Deathscythe rampage if, and when, he found out about what he grasped firmly between two sweaty hands at the moment.

But, it didn't look like he had any clue as to what was going on. Gil's dad just put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, probably going over the long day at work in his head. Maybe, Gil figured, if he could somehow ask the right questions, then maybe he could pry some advice from his father on how to deal with the situation, and not even let him know that he was doing so in the first place. Brilliant!

"Hey, dad? Can I ask you a question?" he asked innocently, somewhat more calm than before.

Soul opened a single eye and gave a lazy shrug with his upturned arms. "Shoot."

Feeling just a bit more confident, Gil plopped himself on the couch right next to his dad. "I was wondering, what did gramps do when you and mom started dating?"

"Spirit?" the man coughed a bit, eyes widening a little at the thought. "Something along the lines of wanting to chop my nuts off, if I remember right."

In hindsight, that might not have been the best question to ask. And as Gil thought about it more, he figured that no matter what the answer was, it wouldn't really help him with his situation much anyway. The most he could be thankful for was that his dad didn't think the topic to be too random, either that or he was just too tired to care. Either way, he had to approach this like his mother would; methodically. Perhaps he should ask how best to deal with a rival weapon suitor? That might work, his dad used to tell him stories about how he fought other weapons for his mom a long time ago. Maybe if-

"-Why you wanna know anyway?" Soul chimed, taking a sip from his coke. "Mrs. Knightly catch you and Kirin together yet?"

Train of thought out the window, Gil's faced flashed redder than his dad's eyes. "What do you mean, _yet! _She's just my meister dad!"

Shaking his head, the eldest Evans snorted. "Yeah, just like your mother and I were _just _partners. At least you two aren't living together like we were-"

"-Dad, I _really _don't want to know about whatever it is you and mom did, or _thought _about doing in your apartment together." Gil looked away, slightly mortified.

Shrugging as he conceded, Soul simply reclined in his chair and closed his eyes, obviously finding the conversation over and done with. His son however, just couldn't seem to drop the subject. He was going absolutely nowhere with this, and he needed to resolve this issue of his a.s.a.p. White Star was a little twerp when he wanted to be, and Gil just knew that the next day he'd be pestering him about whether or not he actually delivered the thing to his mother or not. And what's worse, the creep could _tell _if he was lying or not; honesty and meekness were some of the curses he'd been plagued with since birth.

Maybe if he just came out with it all at once, his dad might not be _so _mad? Maybe he'd be a little bit ticked off, but wouldn't go on a deathly rampage the next time he saw the boy at school? It wasn't like his dad was anything like gramps, he wasn't _that _obsessive over his mom. And Soul Evans was never one to lose his cool so easily, it would've taken a lot to get a rise out of him in the first place. If he fumed for only a day or two, it wouldn't be so bad. He could live with that, so long as his mother stayed out of this and White Star got what was coming to him. Now he just had to prepare himself for the volcano to erupt.

It took him a moment, but after debating with himself over the matter, he finally set the wheel in motion. "Dad?"

"Hm?" the man responded almost immediately, the slightest hint of annoyance in his one opened eye.

"You know how Valentine's Day is coming up, right?" the boy prodded, a lump tightening in his throat when his father nodded. "Well, this person gave me a letter..."

Soul's lips curled into an amused grin. "So is this one from Kathy again? Or one of those other female stalkers of yours?"

Gil groaned, cursing that popular face both of them had been born with. "No, it wasn't for me. Actually...it's kind of for mom, if you can believe that..."

Oh holy hell, he was afraid this would happen. Gil's shoulders slunk when his father suddenly perked in his chair, eyes wide awake despite him being tired not even seconds before. The amusement in his face had vanished as if in an instant, leaving only that flat looking stare that he'd seen a couple times before when his father was _pissed. _The young Evans bit his tongue when Soul raised a brow, somehow finding a little comfort in the fact that he was at least showing a little bit of emotion. Still, he found himself sinking into the floor like he used to when he was little, before he'd found confidence in Shibusen.

"...And just who exactly gave you that?" his dad asked evenly, reaching for the piece of paper his son pulled out from behind him.

Gil gave it to him, but only as he struggled with himself about whether or not to run out the front door and avoid the situation altogether. But before he could even blink, Soul Evans snatched the note out from him and was already reading it like a man looking over his prison sentence. That left Gil to debate with himself over what to do next; should he let his dad find out for himself, or should he soften the blow by giving him a heads up about what he was about to read? Either way it didn't matter to him, because his dad would be pissed either way. In the end though, he settled on the latter, for White Star's sake.

"-It's from White Star!" Gil said quickly. No sooner had he said that did his dad look up at him with wide eyes. "White Star wrote that for mom..."

And for a moment they remained silent, both staring at each other as the tension grew with each passing half-second; Why was his dad just sitting there! Was he really so pissed that he couldn't even respond? Dear god, White Star was going to get it, the poor bastard wouldn't know it either! He'd be in class minding his own business, when Lord Death's personal weapon would burst in through the door with a scythe for an arm and...oh god! Gil swallowed the lump building in the back of his throat, expecting his father to lose it at his next breath. But no sooner had he thought that, he was immediately proven wrong.

"You've got to be kidding me!" the eldest Evans howled with laughter, surprising his son immensely. "White Star, really?"

"Wait a minute, you're not upset? You realize that's a...that's a _love_ letter, right-?" Gil gaped, not expecting his father's reaction at all.

Soul snorted. "Oh yeah, like I'm going to be threatened by a prepubescent twerp who can barely count to twenty five. Come on, Gil, give me some credit."

Dumbstruck, the young scythe put on a wary grin as his dad continued to laugh, almost uncontrollably. Maybe he really hadn't given him the credit he deserves? After all, Soul Evans was the coolest adult at Shibusen, both in his attitude and just the way he carried himself around others. Gil rubbed the back of his neck, convinced that he was wrong in assuming that anything White Star could have written down was enough to rile him up. And as Soul continued to read, albeit it with a few chuckles, Gil's grin only continued to grow at just how stupid the situation was. Of course there was nothing to worry about-!

"-What...the fuck?" he saw his father's smile immediately fade, his eyes growing wide in place of them.

Just as quickly, Gil snapped to attention. He didn't like the looks of that reaction. "Dad-? What is it-? What's it say?"

"...The kid has colorful vocabulary, I'll give him that." Soul mumbled, staring at the sheet in his hands. "I aughta punch the bastard-"

"-Dad you can't hurt him! He's your best friend's son! He's your _student!_" the young Evans gaped, fearing that his dad was quickly losing his reason.

But Soul only shook his head. "I was talking about Black Star. That's the fucker's genes in the boy, it's his dam fault, although maybe Tsubaki had something to do with it..."

At that last note, the front door's knob started to jiggle. The sound of keys clanging and an unmistakable whine sent Gil and Soul reeling towards the hallway leading outside, both flashing looks at the door before each other. Without missing a beat, the eldest took White Star's letter and buried it in the depths of his chair where no one could find it. Gil meanwhile scrambled for a place on the sofa next to him, hoping to look casual as the door quickly opened to reveal two women; one tall and slender, her blonde hair matching the locks of the little girl next to her. The other was even taller, her dark hair kept in a pony tail.

Immediately, the little girl next to the blonde rushed inside and went straight for Gil, tiny fang-like teeth curled into a wide grin as she came to him. Forgetting all about White Star's drama, the young scythe picked up his baby sister with a smile of his own as she giggled like an imp in his arms. Full of energy, little Ella scrambled to break free even though she'd willingly jumped into her brother's arms just a second ago. Both Evans struggling with each other, neither let up long enough to watch as both women in the doorway walked in and greeted their father; one with a kiss, the other with a wave.

"You're home early. Ella giving you trouble?" Soul sneered, enjoying the look of exhaustion on his wife's face.

"She is _your _daughter, Soul. The only thing she got from me was my looks." Maka replied with drooping shoulders.

In the background, Tsubaki tried to smooth things over. "Oh, Maka! She isn't that bad! If anything, she reminds me of you-!"

Soul's snort cut her off. "My wife likes to _think_ all the bad stuff came from me, but Ella's all Maka. They're both high-strung, high maintenance, high-"

Just like her husband cut off Tsubaki, Maka shut the man up with a sudden bash to the skull with one of her books. Where on earth she pulled that thing out from, Gil would never know. But both he and his sister cowered in fear on their little corner of the couch as daddy slumped in his chair, eyes boggled and mouth wide open. Their mother simply painted on a pleasant face and walked over towards the kitchen, leaving her guest, Mrs. Nakatsukasa, to trail after her with an awkward smile and a wave to Soul goodbye. He of course didn't see it, what with being unconscious and all. Gill shuddered at the thought; he always hated those things, those _Maka Chops_. For some reason, his mother never hit Ella with it, only him and his father. Perhaps it was just a guy thing? Or an Evans guy thing, at least...

Either way, he wasn't getting pummeled to death now. In fact he already knew why the two women were there, talking up a storm in the kitchen as Ella finally broke free to join them. She was only two years old, but just as smart as their mother. And the little girl knew that her birthday was coming up, since the entire day the two women had been planning her party with such excitement.

In two days it'd be Valentines Day. And since Ella was born on the _fifteenth_ of February, everyone just decided to have her birthday early.

His mom thought it was cute. His dad really didn't care. As for his baby sister, well, any excuse for cake was reason to celebrate. So from his corner on the couch, Gil watched little Ella run up to their mother's leg and immediately tug on her to be picked up. He smiled, watching the girl get lifted into the air as she smiled the biggest smile he'd ever seen. She was a doll, just like their mom was as a baby. In fact, Ella Evans was almost the spitting image of Maka, save for two small details; she had teeth like razor blades and a habit of hibernating for hours on end. Dad, of course, couldn't have been more proud.

Speaking of which, the sudden sound of a whisper brought Gil back reeling to his father. Surprisingly the man was now fully conscious, but the expression on his face was a bit more serious than before. With a finger to his lips, he motioned to his mother and immediately the boy understood. He didn't need words to know that whatever White Star had written, it would have to stay a secret. Neither she nor Mrs. Nakatsukasa needed to know about the letter, especially since they were focused on more important things at the moment. No, confronting his best friend would have to wait, for Ella's sake.

So Gil slunk back in his seat and nodded as his father turned on the TV, both men putting the entire ordeal behind them.

White Star was a horndog, but not really any sort of threat. Besides, what's the worst thing the little twerp could come up with?

* * *

><p>By far, it was the worst thing White Star had ever concocted in that tiny, ninja brain of his. Holy freaking hell.<p>

It was inconceivable just how idiotic the boy could be! How on earth the two of them ever became friends in the first place was a mystery to him! Better yet, how on earth their _fathers _could have been best friends was beyond his understanding. Any sort of relation between them was up in the air at this point, because he knew exactly what White Star was planning to do. He needed to be stopped, immediately, but of course there was one small detail that needed addressing; just where in the fuck was he? How easy was it to disappear in a park, for god's sake! Then again he was a ninja...perhaps if he were to-?

"-Gil? Gil, you need to calm down." Kirin's voice snapped him out of his self-induced train wreck, like mercy from above.

He stared at her for a second before blinking. "I know, I know. But we're running out of time! He's actually going to do it in front of everyone!"

The blonde meister nodded. "He could be anywhere. And if I know that idiot friend of yours, there's no way to find him if he doesn't want to be found."

For once, the normally calm boy let his emotions get the better of him. He growled with frustration as he took to punching the tree next to him, surprising his partner immensely. Almost immediately however, Gil regretted it; trees weren't exactly soft. So when his hand started to swell and he squeaked so uncoolly from the pain, Kirin was already there to ease things by clasping it with her own.

"You're so hopeless." Kirin teased, smiling as her scythe looked away awkwardly. "I can't believe you're your father's son."

"Yeah, well, neither can I. At least he would know what to do." Gil shot right back, in a gruff voice that betrayed the slight red of his face.

He pulled away and didn't dare look at her in the face, instead deciding to scan the trees for any trace of White Star. As Kirin had said, chances were they wouldn't be able to find him. And whatever she said was usually right, so there was little Gil could do to give him and his meister hope. All he could do was try not to give up completely, both for his own sake and his little sister's. Really it was all for her in the end anyway, because honestly, why _now _of all times? Why did his naive best friend think that confessing his love for their mother, during Ella's _birthday_ no less, was a good idea?

And that was in front of everyone! All of their families; the Evans, the Nakatsukasas, the Thompsons, dammit even Lord Death himself! Every one of them expecting a happy little get-together in the forest training grounds surrounding Shibusen and a little girl to blow out the candles to her birthday cake. One of those people was of course their father, _the _Death Scythe, who was always the definition of cool and collected. But even Soul Evans' stoicism could last only so long, and if he wasn't pissed of two days ago when he read the note, then he'd certainly lose it if Star crashed his daughter's special day.

Gil didn't want that. Or at least, didn't want someone else to punish him when it was clearly _his _responsibility; White Star was _his _best friend, and if anyone was going to beat the idiocy out of the punk, it was going to be him. Of course, the only problem with that plan was that it involved tracking Star down, which in a forest was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And to make matters even worse, Kirin wasn't really helping the situation any. In fact, she was making things worse what with her hand-holding and all...it was different when he was in scythe form. Human contact wasn't really his strong point.

He looked down at his hand still firmly between Kirin's, then back up at her. She still had that tiny smile from before, only this time he knew it wasn't out of amusement. There had been nothing but silence between them for good few minutes, so it couldn't have been something he said. Maybe she was thinking of something funny? Whatever it was, Gil suddenly found himself just a little bit warmer than before. It was really uncomfortable, being this close to her without having a reason for it. And the entire time, his dad's comment about him and Kirin two days ago kept popping into his head.

Maybe that's why his next few words were just a little bit weary. "Maybe if you use soul perception, we can find him quicker?"

"Oh. Right." she replied with apprehension. Immediately, Gil felt like an ass when all she after that was, "Well, let's get this over with."

He tried to say more to his meister, but she didn't give him the chance to. Kirin quickly let go of his hand and turned away from him, eyes closed in order to concentrate on finding White Star. Standing there with her back turned towards him, Gil could practically see the annoyance in the air around her. She was angry; something he learned to recognize in the two years they'd been partners, only this time he didn't have the slightest clue as to why...actually, that was a lie. Despite what he tried to tell himself, Gil had a vague idea. The thing was, he just couldn't bring himself to believe something like that.

Of course, if his theory _was _correct then it wasn't good news for him. At least not in the way other people would see it; Gil wasn't suave like his dad, even though the ladies didn't care as long as he had his face. And while it was true he'd become more confident since enrolling in Shibusen, he was still a bit too shy around everyone but his meister, who he tagged along constantly with. Kirin has his best friend, besides White Star of course, and she always stuck up for him whenever he needed it. Kind of like how his parents used to be, although his dad would tell him otherwise...it wasn't cool to be saved by a girl.

"...Hey, Kirin?" Gil spoke up finally, debating whether or not to tap on her shoulder. He was just about to, before she looked over her shoulder and glared at him.

"I'm a little busy here, Gil." Kirin replied with words like acid. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, at least that's what he thought to himself in private.

The boy, in over his head, pressed on. "White Star can wait a second...I mean, your soul perception's so great, you can find him in no time, right?"

She continued her leer for a moment, before letting up a fraction of a degree. "I can tell when you're trying to kiss up. What do you want?"

"Nothing...I mean-!" Gil started to say, before noticing her pretty face scrunch up again. "It's Valentines Day, after all...and, well..."

He felt his face start to burn up again, being just one more thing he'd inherited from his mother; she always blushed. The only thing he could be thankful for at the moment was the fact that Kirin was no longer glaring at him, considering that if she was then he probably wouldn't be able to find the right words to say what he wanted to. It helped when she turned to face him and crossed her arms, that angry look of hers being replaced by one of curiosity. He always liked that about her; the woman exuded confidence, and it always rubbed off on him. Which was a good thing, considering he need all the confidence he could get at the moment, what with those big, pink eyes staring at him as she waited patiently for him to say something. Very quickly he realized there was no going back. Now or never.

"...We've been partners for years, and our parents like each other, and we babysit Ella all the time. And you're the only one I really talk to besides Star, but he's an idiot, and..."

Gil continued, probably for much longer than was needed or appropriate. He listed all the times they'd gotten in trouble together at school and had to stay for remedial lessons, all the times he'd gotten Kirin Chopped on the head when it was clearly his fault for doing something stupid. When he got to the part about Kirin's old weapon coming back to beat the shit out of him last year, Gil didn't hesitate to mention that he was the one who won that fight, albeit it while suffering a broken arm in the process. And he closed his eyes in embarrassment when he thanked her for not going on missions with another weapon while it healed, considering her normally straight A's took a beating because of it. But never once did she complain, in fact, she found it in herself to feed him soup once or twice. And he loved it.

Of course he couldn't see it with his eye closed, but even with his ungodly long list, Kirin's smile only continued to grow. All the little things he recalled, she remembered in detail, and all the big things she could recall as if they'd happened yesterday. He was a dork and always would be; from the moment she met him as a little girl, till the day he croaked at the, hopefully, ripe old age of a hundred and five. But the thing was, she wouldn't have him any other way. Gil was her weapon, and she proudly touted the fact to the other girls at school that she was the only one who could resonate with him. They, of course, were jealous.

He was cute. Not cool like his dad, but they were two different people. They had the same strong features, except for the teeth, but his mother's eyes made his face seem so much softer. And she loved that he was smart enough to keep up with her, because honestly, not many men could. Who cares if she was older than him by two years, especially since Gil would always argue that it was really only one and a half anyway? Besides, they were partners. They shared a soul half the time anyway, so what was the harm in admitting that they liked each other? She knew that's what he was trying to do, the dork.

"...and if I forgot anything else _I'm sorry,_ but if I don't say anything now then I never will. So I was wondering if-!"

"-Yes, Gil. I will go out with you." Kirin cut him off with a grin, giggling at just how wide his eyes opened in utter shock at her response.

Without hesitation, she was the one to pull him in and plant her lips on his. He flinched for a brief second, still surprised at what was going on. But it was only for a moment, and by the time Kirin had begun to wrap her arms around his neck he was already doing the same around her waist. He still couldn't believe things had worked out this way, but he wasn't one to complain. Especially not when he had his meister in his arms, kissing him like they'd been doing this for months. A grin crept across his lips at the same time Kirin pulled away. She pressed their foreheads together and smiled back.

"Was that really so hard?" the blonde teased him yet again, only this time Gil didn't look away.

All he did was shake his head, for once giving off that devilish grin his father was known for. "Happy Valentines Day, Kirin."

They sneaked another quick kiss in, both giddy to the point of almost laughing outright. They couldn't help but feel happy, although they had little time to celebrate in their quiet seclusion for long. Before they had another chance to bring their lips together, the sound of a ruckus nearby wretched their attention away from each other. Both staring out into the forest, they waited in silence to hear it again. And after a few seconds passed the same noise appeared, only this time accompanied by the shouts of a woman who sounded all too familiar. It didn't take long for Gil to realize who it was; Mrs. Nakatsukasa.

_"No disrespect to little Ella or anyone else here...!" _an even more familiar voice rang out. _"...But I have something I need to get off my chest...!"_

Oh dear god. The young scythe didn't need to tell his new girlfriend what was going on; all he had to do was look at Kirin, and immediately the two of them broke off their embrace and started running towards the misguided speech as it unfolded for everyone in the park to hear. Past trees and overs bushes, meister and weapon dodged every obstacle that appeared in their way. As fast as they could, the two of them tried their damnedest to stop what was bound to be the most inappropriate, most embarrassing, most _wrong _thing anyone in the history of the world had ever had the displeasure of hearing.

But they were running out of time fast. _"...I wrote a letter to the woman I love a few days ago, but obviously she didn't get it!..."_

That son of a bitch! He was going to kill him the moment he got to the picnic grounds, because that's obviously where all of this was taking place. Gil could see it now; the wannabe ninja standing atop a picnic table, probably got his foot in a bowl of mashed potatoes no less. If he was anything like his father was as a child, he probably found a stick or something and was using it as a microphone or something. And there was no doubt in his mind that everyone was staring at him in utter shock as he pointed to the sky with confidence, or even worse...at his mother, of all people.

The voice was getting louder! Damn him! _"...And since my own best buddy won't even help me, I guess I'll just have to say it now for everyone to hear!..."_

White Star, don't do it! For the love of all things holy and what was left of his best friend's pride, Gil prayed with everything he had that him and Kirin weren't too late. They had just a little ways to go, the picnic clearing was so close he could practically make out everyone's bodies in the distance. Gil looked desperately to his meister as she did the same, the panic obvious across both their faces. Just a few more steps. That's all he kept saying to himself as they made it past the perimeter of trees surrounding baby Ella's birthday party; just a few more steps, and it'll all be over.

In the end he was right, although not in the way he would have liked. They did eventually make it to the table, and his suspicions from before were proven right. All the adults stared, dumbfounded, as the black haired ninja made a complete ass of himself in public. The only thing was, it was already too late; things had ended the moment he tried to approach White Star, and at the top of his lungs, he screamed;

"...Mrs. Evans, you're the hottest piece of ass I've ever seen, and I love you from the bottom of my heart!"

* * *

><p>The party ended pretty quickly after that. Mom decided to wrap things up at home, as far away from the public as possible.<p>

Things turned out better than Gil could have hoped for; at least White Star was still breathing, which was a good thing. His freedom was a different story entirely, considering he'd _never _seen Mrs. Nakatsukasa that red before. Then again, he'd never seen Star's father so...unfazed before. Almost like he was expecting some kind of bullshit from his son like that all along, though the comments about his mother made Mr. Nakatsukasa smack his own head in embarrassment. And of course the entire time, White Star was oblivious to having done anything wrong at all. He simply thanked the crowd, and walked off.

Gil had to hand it to his father, the man didn't blow up like he completely expected him to. That's not to say that he wasn't _pissed_; it took the combined efforts of Lord Death and Mr. Nakatsukasa to keep him from chasing after the boy in cold, killing fury. Gramps was a different story, since nobody was there to restrain him. Still, the man was old, and couldn't really keep up with the little assassin as he jumped from tree to tree out of sight. All the while, his mom just stood there with Ella in her arms, a look of utter horror and confusion plastered across her face that would have been funny if the cirumstances were different.

And of course, the Thompson sisters stayed as far away from the scene as possible. They were just street smart like that, and Gil respected them for that. Which left only himself and Kirin in the middle of everything, as the adults couldn't decide whether to continued with the party and ignore everything, or get the punishment in quick and swift. Eventually, Ella was the one who decided for them. As their parents argued, she fell fast asleep in her mother's arms. And by the time everyone realized, the mood had already calmed, so they decided to pack up and call it a day. Besides, her birthday wasn't really till tomorrow anyway.

In retrospect, his best buddy was a complete dipshit. But, Gil supposed, when you've got the hots for somebody, you've got to act on it. And though Star really needed to learn what was appropriate to say and do, he did get one thing right; if a person is really worth it, you need to let them know how you feel. Even if you end up looking like a dork in the process, who knows, you might just get the girl in the end.

Kirin was all his because of that little lesson he'd learned, and maybe one day he could pass on that same advice to White Star, albeit it in a more appropriate way.

Although one little thing he had to be sure to stress from the very beginning; his mother was off limits, and if he _ever _called her a hot piece of ass again, he would kill him.


End file.
